Vision Expo East 2025: An exclusive Q&A with CLI panelists on recent research – Part 1

At Vision Expo East 2025, a group of panelists presented new data released by the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) on purchase factors driving contact lens searches online.¹ In the first installment of a 2-part Q&A, Charissa lee, OD, MBA, FAAO; Ryane Corte, OD; Roxanne Achong-Coan OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FSLS, Dip CCLRT; and Nishan Pressley, OD share their insights in an exclusive interview with Optometry Times.

Jordana Joy:

What are some key takeaways or surprising findings from the research?

Nishan Pressley, OD:

I would say my key takeaway from the trends is that as us practitioners, we just need to make sure that we do our due diligence when it comes to educating our patients. Some of the data that really surprised me was honestly patients googling how to take out their contact lenses. We know that they do the training. I make sure you can do it before you leave the office. But that was one of the top searches, 2 times more, than how to actually insert your contact lenses, so the fact that patients are still struggling possibly with the removal of the contact lenses, doing our due diligence when it comes to educating and doing follow up questions like, "Are you comfortable? Do you need more help?" And just being that advocate that our patient needs, and let them know that we'll always be there for them, even if they're having a difficult time.

Joy:

What is the best way to transition internet search inquiries into the office?

Roxanne Achong-Coan OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FSLS, Dip CCLRT:

So we talked earlier about raising awareness that we actually sell contact lenses in our office. So a lot of time we assume that patients will buy from us, but we don't have anything displayed physically out in the optical that after you get your eye exam, you can get your contact lenses from us. So I think talking about it in the room, seeing how we can match prices, compare prices, and we have systems where it'll actually compare online versus a retail and compared to our practice. And we talk about having better rebates and online presence too. So just bringing it up in the room, making them aware of it also.

Joy:

What are some of the best practices into segwaying into discussion about contact lens wear?

Ryane Corte, OD:

Yeah, we talked a lot about this on stage, but also just as a group. And the reality is, you can't make assumptions about the patient's eye health and vision care journey. So whether they call in and say out just here for a routine eye exam, or they mark on their digital intake or in-person intake form that they're just there for routine eye care, opening up that conversation of, "How do you utilize your eyes throughout the day? What are some of your your hobbies?" And also asking them general questions like, "Why are we doing contact lenses today?" or "On a scale of 1 to 10, how interested are you in contact lenses?" So it opens up a very simple conversation that we can quickly go 1 of 2 ways. So if they are just shutting it all down and they have no interest, we find that out very quickly, but a lot of times there is varying degrees and levels of interest, and you just don't know what the patient's been told or what they've told themselves during their prior appointments. And so opening that up is absolutely huge. We all agree that the "and" conversation, contact lenses and glasses, is what's best for the patient and best for the practice.

Charissa Lee, OD, MBA, FAAO:

Yeah, and I'll just add that in the research that we did, over 90% of those queries were an "or" or "versus." And so what we can see from from the research, is that they don't necessarily understand that there's the "and," right? Because only 6% were an "and." So I love what Dr Corte says about bringing it up in the office to make sure that they understand, because they probably don't know that they can do both.

Joy:

Going off of that, what do you think are some of the most common misconceptions that patients have about dual wear?

Pressley:

I would say for me, what I hear my patients say all the time is they think that if they start to wear contacts, that has to be their primary correction if you go when, in reality, I'm sitting here like, "No, that's why we have daily disposable lenses." There's options for you when it comes to contact lenses. You don't have to wear them every single day if you don't want to. But if there's a special event, if you know you enjoy pickleball, if you know you enjoy golfing, go to the time that you can wear your contacts, and it's going to be okay. So just having that conversation where this doesn't have to be an everyday thing. This is another way to redirect your vision that's going to help out with your everyday visual needs.

Achong-Coan:

And even patients who have an astigmatism, they don't even realize that it comes in astigmatism prescription, and multifocals is a huge one. A lot of times they think, "Oh, when I wear contacts, I have to look through all these different zones or I have to tilt my head." I said, "That's the beauty of contact lenses. So you can look up here and still see up close. So you have those misconceptions like, "Well, I don't know if I want those, and it sounds so complicated, and it sounds expensive, so I don't want to get contact lenses."

Corte:

Yeah, to act off all that, they don't know what they don't know. A lot of times they may not even feel they're eligible, or they don't have any coverage, or they're so busy, they came in for a primary endpoint of getting things updated, and it takes us or our team to introduce them to even putting that in their mind as an option.

Lee:

Yeah, I think one of you guys brought up that reinforcing it with your staff and reminding your staff about the "and" conversation throughout that patient journey, even in our own offices, it's an opportunity too.

Reference:

1. Purchase factors drive online contact lens searches, according to new US and Canadian research. News release. Contact Lens Institute. February 18, 2025. Accessed February 27, 2025. https://www.contactlensinstitute.org/news/digital-search25/