In today’s society, the phrase “image is everything” rings true. How we present ourselves to our patient is our biggest asset in the marketing of our practice. This presentation encompasses all facets of the practice: the staff who greet the patients as they enter the office, the lenses and lens care decisions the practitioner makes and the instructions the patients receive before they leave our office. What we say and how we educate our patients in the office will shape their visual health and comfort for the upcoming year.

Often times it is the little things we do for our patients that have the biggest results in growing and maintaining our practice. Patients come to us for our expertise, and stay when they can walk away with better vision and comfort.

Our patients have one simple expectation. They wish to see well and be comfortable. Numerous studies cite comfort as the primary reason that patients drop out of contact lens wear.¹ Some of these dropouts are vocal, while others simply fade away from our practice. Consider that spending an extra minute with your patients to review their lens care regimen may be the deciding factor in keeping those patients in your practice or losing them entirely. Every contact lens dropout will affect your practice’s bottom line—both in lost revenue and through loss of referrals.

Improve Comfort
The comfort equation has many variables, the most important being the interaction between the contact lenses and the multipurpose solutions which disinfect, create wettability and enhance the comfort of the contact lens. One of the latest advances is the introduction of OPTI-FREE® PureMoist® MPDS and HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix. HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix was designed to make the entire contact lens surface hydrophilic and wettable.²

This increased wettability allows a patient to wear their lenses comfortably for a longer period of time, feel more comfortable at the end of the day and achieve clear vision.³ By providing the patient with a product that makes their lenses more wettable, we can achieve a better contact lens experience in comfort.

In an ongoing survey of over 3,000 patients, 88.3% of patients who sampled OPTI-FREE® PureMoist® MPDS experienced all day comfort. In the same survey, 59% of patients reported end-of-day dryness with their habitual contact lens solution vs. only 19% of the users after switching to OPTI-FREE® PureMoist® MPDS.⁴ What we learned is that a small conversation educating our patients on the benefit of a contact lens system can lead to a 67% improvement in end of day moisture with OPTI-FREE® PureMoist® MPDS.⁴       

Sometimes we need to remember that it is the little things that really make the big difference in our practices. Spending a few extra moments with our patients to educate them on best practices for maintaining good eye health, vision and comfort can make a large difference in both their outcomes and their perception of your practice. This is especially important for the contact lens patient who is always looking around for a better option. Take the time to explain the benefits of why you are recommending a contact lens solution. Keep in mind that this breakthrough in wetting technology, HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix, can lead to hours of comfort and moisture for your patients, which could keep them coming back to your office and ultimately grow your practice.

1. Rumpakis J. New data on contact lens dropouts: an international perspective. Rev Optom. 2010 Jan;147(1):37-44.
2. Davis JW, Kettleson HA, Shows A, Meadows DL. A lens care solution designed for wetting silicone hydrogel materials. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010;51:E-Abstract 3417.
3. Garofalo R, Lemp J. Clinical Trial Experience with Opti-Free PureMoist MPDS.  Contact Lens Spectrum. September 2011.
4. Results of ongoing global survey assessed on August 19, 2011. Data on file.