News Briefs Archive

New Research: What Does it Take to Make a Dual Wearer of CLs AND Glasses?

May 10, 2023

Cropped shot of a beautiful young woman putting in her contact lenses at home

A new, comprehensive report from the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) indicates that the eyecare community has significant yet largely untapped upside opportunity by prescribing both contact lenses and glasses. “Double Duty: The Patient & Practice Potential of Dual Contact Lens & Glasses Wear” is now available for online reading or download from ContactLensInstitute.org.

The latest CLI See Tomorrow series report draws from recently conducted custom research with more than 2,000 prescription vision-corrected U.S. adults, combined with insights from more than a dozen of the country’s leading eyecare professionals. It also includes previously unpublished data from The Vision Council, with which CLI is partnering to extend the study’s reach.

“Having an industry association with our specific focus advance glasses prescribing—in conjunction with increased contact lens wear, of course—may be unexpected. But we firmly believe that the greatest potential for consumer satisfaction and professional success has a foundation in holistic eyecare,” write CLI Executive Director Stan Rogaski and CLI Board Chair Michele Andrews, OD, in the report’s opening letter. “While some of findings affirm what we have long suspected, and others are surprising, all contribute toward a more informed and effective community of eyecare professionals.

Expanding on data first previewed on the 2023 Vision Expo East Innovation Stage, CLI quantifies latent demand for dual wear among current glasses and contact lens users—more than one in three patients (36 percent)—and explores why consumers define choice as a strongly compelling proposition. This includes deep dives with accompanying infographic illustrations into situational wear by activity, time of day and day of the week.

For the first time, CLI isolates the demographics of dual wearers, including employment status, household income, education, gender and vision insurance coverage. The findings also offer understanding of what prompts a dual wearer to choose contact lenses or glasses, with convenience scoring high for both types of vision correction (31 percent and 37 percent, respectively). Details surrounding self-confidence, quality of vision, physical activities, fashion and comfort elements are also conveyed.

The largely overlooked importance of trial stands out within the research. Among glasses-only wearers, contact-lens trials are largely underutilized. Thirty-two percent of that patient population said that a free trial would increase their consideration. Yet among the subset who reported that contact lenses were discussed at their most recent exam, only 10 percent were subsequently offered trials of any type. Among contact lens-only wearers, when glasses were discussed during an exam, only one-in-three were offered the chance to look at glasses in the office.

Columns authored by 2023 Contact Lens Institute Visionaries are placed throughout the publication, each offering examples of how to transform the report data into high potential practice management behaviors. Many center on engaging in more productive exam lane conversations, extending those to all staff who interact with patients prior to, during and after their visit.

“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 on any given day and time to suit ever-changing environments. CLI hopes the eyecare community will embrace this new research, share the insights among one another, and consider how dual wear can provide a better experience for practice and patient alike,” said Dr. Andrews.

>>Click HERE to download the new report>>

 

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