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Premium Care, Promising Growth

To build a successful business, focus on communication first

According to optometrists, open discussions about patient expectations and comfort can lead to thriving practices.

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about lens comfort is not as effective as it could be. Although millions of Americans wear contact lenses, and despite significant innovations in contact lens technology, a 2014 report by Jobson Optical Research revealed that more than 40% of contact lens wearers experience some discomfort. This finding is both surprising and unfortunate because discomfort can lead to patients opting out of contact lenses. Furthermore, research from August 2022 by the Contact Lens Institute shows that only 7% of patients recalled their practitioners talking to them about new advances in the contact lens field, a strong indicator that may help explain why more consumers aren’t using newer technologies.

The impact of contact lens discomfort cannot be overlooked, notes Dr. Darryl Glover, a North Carolina optometrist. “The main dissatisfaction I hear from patients is that they experience some contact lens discomfort midway through the day,” he says. “Patients use words such as ‘burning,’ ‘irritation,’ ‘grittiness,’ ‘blurred vision,’ and ‘dryness.’ Additionally, they complain that their vision is poor and that they can feel the contact lens.” Glover says that this level of discomfort understandably leads to patients feeling that their needs are not being met and often means that they don’t return to their eye care providers. Instead, they go in search of another and hope for a different experience.

As many business leaders would attest, understanding unspoken customer needs and expectations is the key to outperforming competition in any field. This line of communication is critical in understanding how to elevate services, foster customer loyalty, and maximize profits. For many eye care professionals (ECPs), who function as both key health care providers and small business owners, communication and trust have become essential tools to distinguish themselves from large competitors. Leading entrepreneurial eye care providers are leveraging enhanced communication strategies with patients to support better care and improve patients’ daily lives while also improving the lifetime value of each patient to the practice; a win-win situation that boosts both immediate and long-term business outcomes. Contact lens comfort is among the most pressing of these unexpressed patient needs, and for many providers, communication with patients

Even the way specific questions are structured may impact the quality of dialogue between providers and their patients. Dr. Melanie Denton, an optometrist in North Carolina, agrees that ECPs must recognize that actively soliciting more nuanced feedback from patients will provide a comprehensive understanding of their needs for providers and, ultimately, greater patient satisfaction. “The biggest thing that helps me during my patient interactions is open-ended questions, truly listening, and trying to find pain points in my patients’ days,” Denton says. “A patient may not realize that comfort is an issue until I ask related questions. I think that’s one of the biggest misconceptions—that our patients don’t want to be asked more questions.”

The importance of listening

According to Glover, some prolonged patient discomfort is unacceptable and a frequently missed opportunity to provide excellent care. “The doctor- patient relationship is key to delivering the comfort that patients seek,” he says. “As eye care professionals, we need to create environments that make patients feel at ease expressing their needs.”

The doctor-patient relationship is key to delivering the comfort that patients seek. As eye care professionals, we need to create environments that make patients feel at ease expressing their needs.”

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— Dr. Darryl Glover

To facilitate better communication between patients and providers, Glover suggests that providers make concrete changes in the way they structure conversations with patients. “ECPs need to listen,” he says. “We must practice empathy and understand patients’ journeys to boost satisfaction.” Glover highlights the importance of listening to all steps of a patient’s care journey and suggests providers let patients guide the conversation: Ask patients open-ended questions about their contact lens experiences and avoid questions with a simple “yes” or “no” answer, which can make patients shut down. Glover also recommends that ECPs give detailed feedback instead of being overly prescriptive.

Dr. Darryl Glover discusses evolving patient needs and growing trends in his practice.

While strong communication can allow ECPs to deliver superior care to patients, Denton also acknowledges the positive impact it can have on a provider’s bottom line. In fact, she believes that strong communication and active listening have been key factors in her professional success. “Addressing patient comfort has not only made my patients extremely loyal, but it has absolutely been the cornerstone of building my practice in every way,” she says. “It’s critical that ECPs listen to their patients and dig deeper.”

Having a broader view of patients’ environments by understanding their experiences with their current contact lenses at different times of the day may encourage a more authentic connection between patients and ECPs as well. Providers should take a holistic approach to examinations by assessing both the patients’ overall ocular health and their daily habits. Glover asks patients to walk him through their daily routines, so he can learn exactly where and how they may be experiencing poor vision or some eye discomfort. “Gaining an awareness of patients’ life-styles is a critical component of the doctor-patient relationship,” Glover says. “It plays a pivotal role in success, as far as finding the correct treatment approach.”

Innovative products can better meet patient needs

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Understanding a patient’s unique needs is only the first step in adminis-tering best-in-class eye care; ECPs must also offer effective treatment. Suggesting new products for both vision and comfort is often the most direct way to identify the best lens for a patient, which ensures patients are aware of newer technologies and have a chance to try them. Dr. Amanda Nanasy, a Florida optometrist and sports vision specialist, acknowledges that some providers may be hesitant to incorporate a dis-cussion of new products into their conversations with patients for fear that they will appear to be “selling something.” But she encourages a shift in mindset: “Instead of viewing these discussions as making a sale, providers should frame these offerings as continuous solutions to prob-lems patients have articulated,” she says. “You’re not just selling a prod-uct—you’re improving patients’ lives.” Nanasy finds that recommending premium products that can effectively address issues like comfort—such as Alcon’s TOTAL® contact lenses, which are created with a unique permanent water gradient technology that delivers ultimate comfort for lens wearers—is a simple way to help her stand out as a provider and expand her practice. These innovative product offerings are a straightforward and actionable way to address patient comfort. “If ECPs can really change things for patients, those patients are going to send everybody they know to their providers,” she says. “And then, providers will not only have grateful patients who make referrals—they’ll have patients who will come back year after year.”