How do you grow your contact lens practice?
In this video, I share with you sure-fire tips on how to fit more patients into contact lenses than ever before!
Patients love contact lenses and why wouldn't they? Contact lenses provide them with the freedom and flexibility to see and live their life without the limitations of glasses.
As the owner of a four-location, high-volume contact lens practice, I fit my fair share of contacts!
Here are some tips to help you grow your contact lens practice beyond your wildest dreams.
Post contact lenses content on the internet
There's a lot of innovation taking place in the world of contact lenses.
Blog about the advancements taking place in contact lenses and post this content on your practice's social media pages. Patients will find you through this content.
Ask about interest in contact lenses on your digital intake form
You can ask something as simple as, "on a scale of one to ten, how interested are you being fit and evaluated to wear contact lenses?"
You could also ask, "are you interested in having a contact lens exam?" For those who mark "no", dive into why throughout the exam process.
Have your front desk confirm contact lens interest at check-in
Train your front desk to ask patients about contact lenses over the phone and in person.
Have them engage with patients and really gauge their interest in contact lenses.
Have your optometric technician confirm contact lens interest during the workup process
Patients spend a lot of time with our support team. During the workup process have your optometric technician ask the patient if they're wearing or interested in wearing contact lenses.
They can document why or why not in the patient's chart, allowing you to have a more educated and informed conversation during their exam.
Ask your patients about their interest in contact lenses on a scale of 1-10
By the time the patient meets you, the doctor, they're gonna hear about contact lenses a number of times!
Unless the patient respond with a one or zero, there's some level of interest and you have to figure out why they aren't fully a nine or ten.
Often times patients are not a nine or ten because they've experienced discomfort or poor vision in their contact lenses.
Check back in on their interest and educate them on the advancements taking place in contact lenses!
Recommend contact lenses to all eligible patients
Once you determine if a patient is eligible to wear contact lenses, advise them accordingly.
Let them know they're a candidate for contact lenses and educate them on how this would impact their quality of life.
By recommending contact lenses to all eligible patients, you're laying the groundwork to get them into contact lenses, especially if they decided not to be fit at the current visit.
Prescribe daily disposable contact lenses
We all know that dailies are superior to two-week and monthly disposable contact lenses. They're more convenient, more comfortable, and provide superior visual performance.
Plus, daily disposable wears come back more frequently than two-week and monthly disposable lens wears.
Not to mention, it's better for the patient's eye health and vision as well as better for the practice's bottom line.
Present contact lenses AND glasses as complementary products
Contact lenses and glasses go hand in hand. As awesome as contact lenses are, it's important for the patient to have a pair of primary glasses.
Plus, when you get glasses only wearers into contact lenses, they're going to come back to your clinic almost twice as frequently as if they just wore glasses.
Bonus your team on contact lens sales
You should be incentivizing your team and bonusing them on annual supply sales.
A year's supply of contact lenses is the greatest value for the patient and the best for their eye health and vision.
Plus, they come back closer to their yearly exam mark compared to those that purchase partial contact lens supplies.
Display in-office contact lens marketing materials
Advertise contact lenses throughout your office!
You can utilize some of the many marketing materials that the big four manufacturers have or you can curate custom marketing materials with QR codes that link the patient to your website for more information.
Email your patients about contact lenses
We collect a lot of information on every patient, including email.
Email your patients all of the awesome innovations that are taking place in contact lenses!
Even further, direct them to blog posts or pages on your website talking about contact lenses. It drives patients back into the office and gets them thinking about contact lenses.
Ask your satisfied contact lens wearers for referrals
Those that are happy in their contact lenses love to talk about it! This is particularly true if they're happy with the comfort and vision in their lenses.
Ask these patients for referrals! They'll send everyone they know.
Fit specialty contact lenses
It is so rewarding to fit specialty contact lenses. This includes scleral, RGP, toric, multifocal, and multifocal toric contact lenses.
There is such a huge demand for this market and it's really beneficial to your practice's bottom line.
Invest in the process and start fitting more specialty contact lenses.
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Final thoughts
As optometrists, we need to own contact lens prescribing and innovation. As you can tell, I'm a huge advocate of contact lens wear. Use the steps above to get more patients into contact lenses and watch your practice grow more than ever before!
What steps are you taking to grow your contact lens practice? Let me know in the comments below and stay tuned for my next video where we can reflect and grow stronger together.
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