VEW 2024: Contact Lens Institute survey reveals factors that keep patients in contact lenses

At Vision Expo West 2024, the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) unveiled survey results regarding contact lens patient retention. While in Las Vegas, Nevada, CLI Visionaries Scott Moscow, OD, and Andrew S. Bruce, LDO, ABOM, NCLEM, FCLSA, dissected some of the contents of the survey results and discussed what it means for optometrists, opticians, and staff.

The full CLI report will be released in November 2024.

Video transcript

Scott Moscow, OD:

Hello, I'm Dr Scott Moscow, the Clinical Director of Roswell Eye Clinic located in Roswell, Georgia.

Andrew S. Bruce, LDO, ABOM, NCLEM, FCLSA:

Hello, I’m Andrew Bruce, a licensed dispensing optician from Washington State.

Moscow:

Some compelling data is that 26% of new contact lens wears drop out within the first year.

Bruce:

In addition to that, 47% of that 26% drop out within the first two months.

Moscow:

This tells me that the contact lens new wearer has a very, very high expectation for lenses. I think a lot of doctors out there for a new wearer may not try to give that new wear the very best product – maybe they want to use a reusable product or a budget daily disposable – but this data tells us that these wearers really need the most clear, the most comfortable and the most healthy product for them, most likely a premium, daily, disposable if possible.

Bruce:

And then once the doctor has prescribed the lens that they recommend and the modality that they recommend, then it falls upon the optician’s shoulders or the contact lens technician to make sure that the patient is well prepared before they go out the door. Make sure they understand how to insert and remove the lenses, making sure they know how to care for those lenses, even a daily disposable knowing that they need to rinse off the lens before inserting it in their eye after taking it out of the blister pack. All of these are vital pieces of information that should be shared at some point along their journey.

Moscow:

It may be lens-dependent because some daily disposable lenses should not be rinsed off. They come with the packing solution that is perfect for some of those daily disposables, so it's very, very important for your staff to know how to care for each particular type of lens. I think it's very valuable to have a printout that is given to patients as well, not only new wearers but also existing wares, because we know our existing wares may forget or say that they were never told. If you have a handout that you can give them, ideally personalized, I think that goes a long way.

Bruce:

And this comes back to, once again, making sure that every staff member is well trained and well versed to talk about contact lenses, the different types of lenses that are available, and at least provide some basic feedback and information regarding contacts. They don't need to be experts, but especially in particular the optician and the doctor obviously have to be experts in that field, but the receptionist should at least have some foundation of knowledge.

Moscow:

If the receptionist doesn't have knowledge of contact lenses, or even worse a fear of contact lenses, that can stop the patient's contact lens journey before it starts. So it only takes one person in your office to talk negatively about contact lenses that can change a patient's perception of contact lenses as a whole. In our office, we require our entire staff to have eye exams with us, of course at no charge. We encourage them to be either fit with contact lenses, or at minimum, if they don't need contact lenses, at least have a demo contact lens put on so they can see how comfortable a contact lens is.

Bruce:

The data released by CLI also indicated that the length of time staff members spend with the patient are greatly influential in terms of whether or not they choose to continue wearing contacts. 16 to 20 minutes is the average that most patients feel is appropriate for them to be at least well informed, and that involves everybody in the course of the exam, the exam and the time with the optician. Even if the doctor is limited on the time available, then the optician should use the benefit of having more time generally with the patient to make sure that they're well informed, have all their questions answered, and they feel like they've been taken care of.

Moscow:

When I first saw the statistic about more time equals more patient satisfaction, I was worried. But when I realized that it was all staff time, doctor, technicians, opticians, being only 16 to 20 minutes, I realized that is plenty of time. I think most all of our practices spend at least that much staff time with the patients, so I think it's very, very doable. We just don't want to be too short with our patients.

Bruce:

The data provided by CLI was conducted by Protege, and it was conducted on 401 soft contact lens wearers, pretty much a 50/50 split between previous wearers and new wearers.

Moscow:

The study showed similar results for new versus existing wearers, but one thing to point out is that the influence of staff, whether that be a receptionist, optician, technician or doctor, was much more impactful on a new wear compared to an existing wear, and that makes sense. The existing wearer already knows that they like contact lenses. The new wearer may be on the fence, and it's easy to convince that patient by just one staff member, then maybe contact lenses are not for you. You really need to train your staff to not discourage contact lenses from patients.

Bruce:

The data that was released showed that 74% of new wearers relied significantly on the optometrist recommendations and their advice in terms of whether or not to pursue contacts, and 64% relied on the advice of the optician. When it comes to previous wearers, there was only a 7% difference between those who went off the advice of the doctor versus the optician. Once again, this reinforces that the optician plays a crucial role in the process, so make sure if you are an optician that you feel comfortable rendering advice, but to do so, make sure that you're well informed.

Moscow:

For both new and existing wearers, having their contact lens changed encouraged contact lens wear, so a lot of doctors and opticians out there that fit contact lenses don't want to change a quote unquote happy patient, but the data suggests that changing a patient, upgrading a patient to a new contact lens actually encourages contact lens wear. Visit contactlensinstitute.org to see the preliminary data, and the full report is coming in November. Thank you.