By Kathleen M. Andersen, OD
SYNOPSIS
Personalized lenses are a high-tech, high-performance tool to delight your patients.
ACTION POINTS
INDIVIDUALIZE VISION SOLUTIONS. Ask about visual challenges, Rx visual solutions.
CHARGE A PREMIUM. Set your fees so that you get back at least $100 more for private pay patients and $50 more for VSP patients.
PROMOTE NEW OPTICAL SOLUTIONS. Display point-of-sale posters and brochures from your personalized lens vendor for your office and on your web site and Facebook page.
Today, we’re equipped with visual solutions that can solve individual vision challenges–and delight the patient. This is a great practice differentiator, and it allows us to provide new high-tech products that support higher margins.
We are able to prescribe spectacle lenses that accommodate individual vision aberrations, and even head movements. Each pair of personalized progressive lenses generates $100 more in profit for private-pay patients, and $50 more for patients covered by VSP. Here is how my practice makes the most of this practice-building opportunity.
Point-of-sale wall art in Dr. Andersen’s office advertising Zeiss’s i.Scription personalized lenses. Dr. Andersen recommends showing patients a demo of what their vision looks like with standard lenses, and how much crisper and clearer with personalized lens technology.
Choose a Personalized Lens System
I am using the Zeiss i.Scription system. The equipment includes a Zeiss aberrometer and iTerminal, a tower that measures mono PD and frame set height, pantoscopic tilt and frame wrap. This process communicates to patients the high degree of care we take to get accurate results.
First, the patient has the aberrometry measurements taken and sees an iPad demo about the benefits of personalized lenses. Next, they select a frame and are taken to the iTerminal where mono PDs, set hrs, and frame pantoscopic tilt and wrap measurements are taken. The iTerminal uses a laser to take the measurements, and this information is stored and transmitted to the Zeiss lab through a software program.
We paid for the system on a lease-to-own basis.
Accommodate Individual Visual Challenges
The advantages of such a system are that you can determine right away using the aberrometer/topographer which patients might be having trouble seeing at night, or seeing in general, with standard lenses. We use the Zeiss iPad demo in the dispensary, and I can show patients a simulation of the difference between standard and personalized lenses on my computer in the exam room using the Zeiss topography software.
The added challenges of progressive lens patients make personalized lenses a great option, however, since the digital lens is vastly superior in field of view, nearly every patient would benefit.
The Zeiss i.Scription personalized lens system (against the wall) in Dr. Andersen’s pre-testing room. Dr. Andersen says the technology is especially helpful in accommodating progressive patients, but that all patients would have clear, crisper vision in personalized lenses.
Train Staff to Use System, Work with Patients
Zeiss representatives trained my staff originally and continue to offer support. New staff are trained by my office lab manager.
Market Personalized Lenses
Zeiss provided wall art for my lab, which is visible as patients are seated in the exam room. We also have posters in the pre-testing area that describe the lenses.
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Kathleen M. Andersen, OD, has been the owner of Kathleen M. Anderson, OD, in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., for over 20 years. To contact her: info@rsmvision.com.
