REPORT SHEDS LIGHT ON HEALTH OF U.S. EYEWEAR MARKET

At The Vision Council’s Executive Summit, held recently in Coronado, Calif., Senior Director of Industry Research, Steve Kodey, presented members with the preliminary U.S. Optical Market Eyewear Overview report from 2017.

Here are the numbers the report revealed:

• Total revenue generated by vision care industry. $40.38 billion.
• Eyeglass sales. $22.39 billion, the largest share of the vision correction market.
• Growth in adult eyeglass wearers. 3.5 million.
• Revenue independents generated from optical sales. $18.44 billion.
• Revenue retail chains generated from optical sales. $8.08 billion.
• Revenue mass merchants and wholesale clubs generated from optical sales. $5.14 billion.
• Estimated online purchases of all eyeglass lenses and frames. 4.4%
• Pairs of frames sold. 74.2 million, generating almost $9.73 billion in sales.
• Pairs of frames purchased with managed vision care plan. 48.7 million.
• Pairs of frames purchased sans managed vision care plan. 25.5 million.
• Pairs of plano sunglasses sold online. 7.2 million (6.9% of all plano sunglass sales.)
• Sales increase of free-form digitally surfaced PALs. +1.4%
• Sales increase of photochromic lenses. +0.7%
• Sales increase of AR lenses. +0.6%
• Sales increase of progressive lenses. +0.3%

So, what’s predicted for 2018?

“The independent ECP channel, of which O.D.s account for about 60%, should see revenues grow by 1.5% over 2017 levels . . . ” says Mr. Kodey. “Increasing sales of prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses should be the strongest product growth categories among independent ECP and OD practices in 2018.” ■

LESSONS FROM THE PRACTICE: DON’T LET SCHEDULING SLIP

One of the best lessons I learned in running my business involved schedule management.

From day one of my cold start, my staff was well-trained on the value of pre-appointing, so everyone was on board. Or at least I thought they were.

About three years in, I started receiving phone calls from patients, saying they were usually scheduled at such-and-such time of the year, but this year they didn’t receive their appointment reminder call/email/text, and they were now overdue for their visit.

It turns out that new staff weren’t quite as keen on pre-scheduling, as we had always done. This simple scheduling error literally resulted in delayed appointments and unhappy patients.

The lesson. Managing your schedule effectively is arguably tantamount to running a profitable and growing practice. Just make sure you manage the managers who are responsible for scheduling, and reiterate again, and again, the extreme importance of pre-scheduling patients. ■

—Gina M. Wesley O.D., M.S., F.A.A.O., Medina, Minn.

O.D. PROVIDES PATIENT EDUCATION TIPS REGARDING OTC DROPS FOR DRY EYE

The optometrist’s prescription for an OTC drop for dry eye disease (DED) is often no match for the prices, dizzying array of attractive colors, dynamic logos and box designs found in a pharmacy’s drop aisle. To combat this, DED expert Katherine M. Mastrota, M.S., O.D., F.A.A.O., recommends you provide specific patient education, along with the prescription.

“In addition to the marketing savvy of manufacturers, optometrist’s prescriptions are also up against the pervasive belief by consumers that ‘OTC’ means ‘anything goes,’ and patients’ physical disabilities, which may make them choose a drop that’s eye level vs. one that requires reaching or bending,” she explains. “But, we can still increase the probability that they’ll get what’s best for them.”

Here are Dr. Mastrota’s patient education tips:

• The patient already using drops for another ocular issue. “For glaucoma patients, those who have uveitis or even post-cataract surgery patients, explain that the specific OTC drop you’re prescribing has a ‘soft’ preservative or is preservative-free, so it doesn’t add to the chemical load in the eye from the other drops and, therefore, exacerbate their ocular dryness,” she says.
• The patient with increased tear osmolarity. Educate these patients that increased tear osmolarity means too much salt in the tears, and then explain that the OTC drop you’re prescribing contains an osmo-protectant, or osmo-corrective properties, to reestablish the balance between water and salt in their tears and, thus, relieve their DED symptoms, explains Dr. Mastrota.
• The patient who has conjunctival staining. “Explain to these patients that this is often the first clinical sign of DED, and that what you’re prescribing contains something called a demulcent, which is a thick substance that will soothe, protect and alleviate irritation in conjunctiva,” she says.
• The patient who has corneal staining. Educate these patients that this is a sign of a bit more advanced disease, so you’re prescribing a drop that reduces corneal cell swelling and, therefore, re-establishes a healthy cornea, Dr. Mastrota explains.
• The patient who has seasonal allergies. “Say that you’re prescribing a drop that is thin, as opposed to one that is thicker, or more viscous, to help wash away allergens that may be playing a role in their ocular dryness,” she says.

“It’s also important to stress to patients that despite drops being ‘OTC,’ all do not contain the same ingredients, so it’s important they get what you’re prescribing,” she explains. ■

VISION EXPO EAST’S EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ALLOW O.D.S TO MAXIMIZE TIME AWAY FROM PRACTICES

In recognizing that practice time is precious to optometrists, the organizers of Vision Expo East, taking place March 15 to March 18 at New York City’s Javits Center, want you to know that the education you’ll receive at the event will make missing a few days of work well worth it.

“From top-notch clinical training and practice management education taught by the experts to hands-on business and allied health tracks for patient-facing staff, Vision Expo provides the high-value education needed to improve patient care and profitability, while maximizing attendee time away from their practices,” says The Vision Council Vice President of Trade Shows and Meetings, Mitch Barkley, in a press release.

This year’s education for O.D.s:

• Incorporation of Aesthetics into the Optometric Practice track. This new track provides education and demonstrations about how to implement an ocular aesthetics model into one’s practice — something the maturing patient population desires.
• ODs on Facebook After Dark: The Eye Disease Forum. This new lecture series is about cutting edge clinical topics presented by the social media network’s founder and manager, Alan Glazier, O.D., F.A.A.O.
• Specialty lens series. Comprised of 15 educational sessions, this series covers basic and advanced fitting and custom soft lenses and includes a scleral lens workshop and fitting techniques for infants and children.

Finally, the classic Global Contact Lens Forum, Ocular Surface Disease and Wellness Symposium and Vision Series are available. ■