Contact Lenses

5 Ways to Turn Skeptical Patients Into Contact Lens Wearers

By Ally Stoeger, OD

Recently I examined Barbara M., a new patient in her late fifties. Barbara came in for an annual eye examination and glasses. I asked her about contact lens wear and she mentioned she had tried multifocal contact lenses on two occasions, but had problems with both vision and comfort. Barbara has a small distance ametropia and a large add so no surprise that she was not happy with previous contact lens attempts. And, of course, in her age group, we assume dry eye as a contributory reason to her previous lack of contact lens success.

I asked if she would like us to insert a lens in one eye while she was selecting frames and lenses. She liked that idea a lot so I decided to try a Proclear 1 Day Multifocal lens for intermediate/near vision in her non-dominant eye; no lens in the dominant eye.

Today Barbara M. stopped into the office–she loves her new contact lens so much she wanted to make sure we ordered the annual supply of lenses right away, before her trial lenses ran out. She was happily wearing her one-day replacement multifocal lens for over 12 hours each day.

Lessons Learned from Barbara M:
1. Patients appreciate a doctor who is willing to give them a contact lens to wear while trying on glasses.
2. Some of those patients will actually end up becoming contact lens wearers–especially if you put them in a very comfortable one-day replacement lens.
3. One-day replacement lenses can make contact lens wearers out of non-contact lens wearers.
4. You never know when a multifocal lens will be fantastic for a patient until you try it.
5. Next time you moan about how fitting bifocal contact lenses drives you crazy, remember there may be a Barbara in your future.

P.S.: Barbara is not her real name but she is a real patient!

What are you doing to improve the wearing experience for patients skeptical of contact lenses?

Ally Stoeger, OD, was a founding and managing partner of a multi-doctor practice and has recently opened a new practice in Gainesville, Va. Contact: ally@realpracticetoday.com. You also can follow Dr. Stoeger on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/gheyedr.

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