Recorded at the Essilor Press Conference at Vision Expo East, April 2016.
June 29, 2016
Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, Dipl., senior vice-president of customer development at Essilor of America, Inc., encourages ODs to initiate discussions with patients on the harmful effects of blue light–and to guide them to new options in ophthalmic lenses with blue light protection. Present blue light in terms that patients easily can understand, for example, using the image of the rainbow to illustrate the concept. At a press conference held at Vision Expo East in New York in April 2016, Essilor introduced Eyezen+ Lenses and the Smart Blue Filter feature, providing ECPs with the opportunity to prescribe a clear lens with a blue light filter (at no additional cost to the practice) that provides multiple health benefits, including potentially lessening the risk of macular degeneration and other eye conditions.
Take the Lead in Educating Patients
Guide the Blue Light Discussion
OFFER A SIMPLE EXPLANATION. Explain the risk of blue light in terms of the rainbow. Varying wavelengths give the rainbow its colors, and some of those wavelengths are helpful, while others, such as the blue light wavelength, can be harmful.
EMPHASIZE PROTECTION & PREVENTION. Educate patients, especially those at high risk with a family history of eye disease, that a blue light filter can make it less likely they develop sight-threatening conditions.
BE THE AUTHORITY. Patients want the latest and the greatest in eyecare and eyewear from you. Be the authority on blue light, and the products that can protect your patients from its harmful effects.
CREATE NEW EYEGLASS WEARERS. Patients who have never worn glasses may benefit from lenses that protect their eyes from blue light while easing digital eye fatigue. Ask patients how many hours they spend using digital devices every day, and how their eyes feel at the end of the day. Then provide solutions that ease their eye strain.
PROVIDE INFORMATION. Use multiple channels, including online, to let patients know about the danger blue light poses, and the products you can provide to minimize that danger.
EXPLAIN SCIENCE. Let patients know that while research on blue light is ongoing, there already is enough evidence to support a correlation between blue light and macular degeneration and other eye conditions.
BETTER TO BE SAFE. Emphasize that the patient has nothing to lose by adding blue light protection to their glasses, as lenses with a blue light filter are available today that are clear and don’t cost extra.
STAY UP-TO-DATE. Keep yourself educated and updated on the latest research on blue light, including the advanced scientific approaches being taken by spectacle lens research and development labs.
Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, Dipl., is senior vice-president of customer development at Essilor of America, Inc. To contact him: tellhoward@essilorusa.com
