Making strides in an optometry practice sometimes means thinking outside the box for new ways of approaching eye care. While that isn’t always easy to do, optometrists who are willing to adapt new technology or implement new strategies often find great success in the form of growing their practice or simply providing better care.

Here, three ODs discuss how they are innovating in their practices.

GROWING A PATIENT BASE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

When it comes to growing one’s patient base, social media can be a valuable tool. This is an area where Jason Compton, OD, FAAO, owner of Compton Eye Associates, in New York City, is making strides.

Specifically, he points to the value of connecting with influencers —particularly, local makeup artists. These are folks who have a loyal following, meaning when they share about an experience or a product, their followers listen. Dr. Compton says it is typically his work with colored contact lenses and managing dry eye disease that gets picked up by influencers the most.

“For an influencer to tag me in their post is a lot more powerful than anything I post on my page, because they have so many more followers,” he explains.

As far as putting his own content out there, Dr. Compton says it must be highly targeted to be successful. He says this means the optometrist must “really know” their patient base and, therefore, what will appeal to them most.

“You can’t just put information out there, you need to know who you are talking to,” he continues. “These platforms are great about getting you in front of the right audience if you use them to your advantage. Facebook, for example, collects a lot of information, allowing me to create a very specific ad.”

When creating content, Dr. Compton also points out that video tends to be an effective way to engage with patients.

“People are visual,” he says. “The algorithms of the social media platforms also like video, so they perform well. But the trick is keeping the videos short. The key is to come up with a way to make it short and sweet.” (A Caveat: Optometrists also want to be sure they secure the permission of their patients before posting videos and/or photos of them. See “Posting Images With Permission,” at bit.ly/PatientPermission .)

Dr. Compton says he has also used QR codes to send patients to Google Reviews to leave a review.

“These efforts really do help my practice, in terms of building recognition and long-term growth.”

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION

Dori Carlson, OD, FAAO, an optometrist with Heartland Eye Care, in Park River, ND, and Optometric Management’s “Inspire.LEad.Succeed” columnist, says that she’s focused on keeping up with technology that best serves her patients’ needs, in this case, dark adaptation testing. Dr. Carlson points out that a large segment of her patient population is older than age 40 and Caucasian, risk factors for the sight-stealing condition.

“In our area, most patients know someone who has AMD,” Dr. Carlson points out. “Because it’s so common, patients have legitimate reasons for wanting to know whether they have it, too. That has made it very easy for them to accept this technology.”

Since adopting the technology, Dr. Carlson says that she has been able to identify patients at risk before they even show signs of a problem.

“I have had nothing but positive feedback,” she continues. “There is almost a sense of relief that comes with knowing they’re at risk. Instead of just worrying, they can make lifestyle changes to minimize their risk. It provides a sense of control for them.”

A NEW APPROACH TO MYOPIA MANAGEMENT

Conveying myopia management information to patients — or more specifically, patients’ parents — can be daunting, as there’s a lot to cover, and parents don’t always get the urgency, explains Shefali Miglani, OD, of Monroe Eye Care, in Monroe Township, NJ. She says she was facing this very problem as she tried to perfect a verbal script. One night, she says her husband, a marketing guru in the pharmaceutical field, told her it was marketing problem. The solution? Drip marketing.

Drip marketing is a communication strategy where the message is “dripped” (or sent, usually via email or texting) over time. It’s a way of communicating a lot of information in a more digestible format.

So, Dr. Miglani and her husband created a series of videos that could be sent to parents in a “piecemeal way.” She says that her series of one-minute videos has made it so much easier for parents to understand myopia, that she has shifted her entire practice focus to myopia management. In fact, parents travel from all over and are happy to pay for the service.

“If parents are going to be expected to pay $4,000 or $5,000 for something, they want to understand what they’re getting,” Dr. Miglani explains. “These videos have shifted the parents’ mindset to where they understand the value [of myopia management].”

Dr. Miglani’s use of drip marketing has become so successful, that the doctor and husband have built an entire digital marketing platform called Hoot Myopia Care, which other practices can subscribe to and utilize the videos, among marketing tools.

“When optometrists talk about myopia, we sometimes end up in the weeds talking about a lot of science,” she says. “Patients don’t care about that as much as what the specific benefits will be to their child if they invest in myopia management. If you can’t quickly find a way to explain why their child needs this, they lose interest.”

After parents sign up for Hoot Myopia Care, they continue to receive educational content about how to maintain their treatment plan. This includes coaching on lens insertion and removal.

“There is a lot of engagement, and parents and patients refer others, which has been really instrumental in our growth.” OM