A new report from the US-based Contact Lens Institute (CLI) indicates practitioners have a largely untapped opportunity to prescribe both contact lenses (CLs) and glasses to achieve better patient satisfaction.
While it may seem unorthodox advice - given the CLI represents contact lens and contact lens care product manufacturers - the CLI firmly believes prescribing glasses in conjunction with increased CL wear offers the greatest potential for customer satisfaction and holistic eyecare, said CLI executive director Stan Rogaski and CLI board chair Dr Michele Andrews. “While some of our findings affirm what we have long suspected and others are surprising, all contribute towards a more informed and effective community of eyecare professionals,” the pair wrote in the report’s opening letter.
Expanding on data presented at Vision Expo East earlier this year, CLI quantified the latent demand for dual wear among current glasses or CL wearers to be more than one in three patients (36%), with choice defined as a highly compelling proposition. The largely overlooked importance of trial stands out within the research, said Dr Andrews. Among glasses-only wearers, 32% said a free trial would increase their consideration of CL wear. Yet among the subset who reported CLs being discussed at their most recent eye exam, only 10% were subsequently offered trials. Among CL-only wearers, when glasses were discussed during an exam, only one in three was offered the chance to look at some. “Our profession has inadvertently made glasses and contacts an ‘either-or’ selection, when the real choice lies in having the ability to pick between the two to suit ever-changing environments,” she said.
The latest CLI report draws from research including more than 2,000 prescription vision-corrected US adults, combined with insights from leading US eyecare professionals. It also includes previously unpublished data from The Vision Council, which is partnering with CLI to extend the study’s reach.
‘Double Duty: The Patient & Practice Potential of Dual Contact Lens & Glasses Wear’ is available here.
