The Opportunity

Every day, patients who used to wear contact lenses present to your practice. While their reasons for stopping can vary, this is one of the most underutilized opportunities in optometry because a significant percentage of former contact lens wearers are still interested in wearing them. They're just waiting for someone to ask.

Contact lens patients return to your practice nearly twice as often as glasses-only patients and generate substantially more revenue over time. You don't need new equipment, a new service line, or a new marketing campaign to capture this revenue. You just need to have a conversation.

Here's a simple approach:

• Ask the question. Build contact lens history into your pretesting questionnaire to prompt patients to think about contact lenses before they even step into the exam room.

• Find out why they stopped. Discomfort, price, or someone telling them they weren’t a candidate are the most common reasons.

• Reframe it as problem-solving, not selling. You're not pitching a product. You're fixing something they didn't know could be fixed. Discuss new technology and options.

• Get the whole team involved. From the first phone call to the pretest to the exam room, every touchpoint is an opportunity to plant the seed.

• Let them feel it. If a patient is hesitant, consider letting them try a lens before committing to a full fitting. Proof always beats a claim.OM