Incorporating Colored Contact Lenses into Practice

A CONTACT LENS SPECTRUM STAFF REPORT

Let the testimony from the experts we consulted open your eyes to the benefits of prescribing colored contact lenses.

Colored contact lenses can be fun for patients and rewarding for doctors. Still, many practitioners don't offer this option with any great regularity. Why not? Many of the colored contact lens experts we interviewed believe that colored contact lenses are simply overlooked by their peers. They say that practitioners who don't regularly work with colored contact lenses rarely ask about the market for them or seek advice about how to introduce them into their practice.

PRACTITIONER INTEREST IS LOW

"For some reason they don't get too involved, but they should strongly consider it," recommends Michael Goldsmid, O.D., whose San Diego practice emphasizes specialty contact lenses, and who has been offering his patients colored contact lenses since he opened his practice 14 years ago. Today, he estimates that about 40 percent of the soft contact lenses he dispenses are colored lenses. "A lot of patients want colored contact lenses, it's profitable for us and they really don't take much more of our time -- and it gets patients in for needed screenings and other professional services," he says.

"Sales reps who come into my office tell me that not everyone sells colored contact lenses, and it's always a surprise to me that they don't," says James V. Cornetta, O.D., whose practice in Portsmouth, Va., includes a high volume of patients from an urban setting. About 30 percent of all contact lenses Dr. Cornetta dispenses are colored lenses.

A number of practitioners are not interested in colored contact lenses because they have become complacent, says Mitchell Cassel, O.D., president of Custom Color Contacts, a soft prosthetic contact lens company. "Some see change and adjust to it, while others resist change," he explains. "There's always a segment interested in new technology and a segment whose minds are not open to new things. But these days, with the way healthcare is provided, it's more important than ever to have an open mind."

"We simply assume 'clear' too much," says Neil B. Gailmard, O.D., from Munster, Ind.

LET PATIENT LOYALTY BE YOUR INCENTIVE

Many practitioners who dispense colored contact lenses have been doing so since the lenses first debuted or since they first opened their practices. They saw an opportunity to improve their bottom line while giving patients something they wanted. Those who are successful with these lenses say they'd feel as though they were not fulfilling their responsibilities to their patients if they did not offer the option.

"I'd feel terrible if I didn't offer it and the patient went home with clear contact lenses, only to learn about the possibilities of colored contact lenses from a friend or neighbor," explains Dr. Gailmard.

"A lot of patients are shy when it comes to bringing up colored contact lenses, especially if they've never worn them before," explains Paul Collins, O.D., who practices in Newburgh, New York and who used to prescribe colored contact lenses for models and actresses when he practiced in Manhattan.

Often, patients are reluctant to bring up the subject of colored contact lenses because it deals with their physical appearance.

"But they already are concerned with their appearance by wearing or asking for contact lenses in the first place," notes Dr. Goldsmid. "Let's face it, everyone wants to look their best -- and there's nothing wrong with that."

When the patient doesn't ask about colored contact lenses, it's best that the practitioner bring up the option. Patients who ask their eye doctor if he offers colored contact lenses may decide to go elsewhere if the doctor doesn't because this gives them the impression that their eye doctor is not up on what's new in the field.

"Every time we prescribe contact lenses to a new patient we ask, 'what color do you want?' We don't make assumptions," says Dr. Goldsmid.

Dr. Goldsmid says both he and his staff offer advice to patients about how they look in their colored lenses. "They appreciate it, they're thirsty for it, and the help you give them is paid back in patient loyalty and referrals. They trust my advice because they know I see a lot of patients in these lenses."

IDENTIFYING INTERESTED PATIENTS

Doug R. Weberling, O.D., who practices in Bristol, Va., fits colored contact lenses on almost every type of person imaginable. There's no specific profile or personality trait attributed to those interested in the lenses. Though the majority of wearers are female and between the ages of 15 and 40, there's no way to predict exactly who will be interested in colored contact lenses and who won't be interested. Wearers can be teenagers or they can be a 50-year-old woman whose iris is not as dark as it used to be.

"Most people who are interested in colored contact lenses are interested in enhancing their color, not in looking like a different person," says Dr. Weberling. "Most people are afraid to look phony."

"For some patients, such those who are high-plus, colored lenses are simply easier to see when putting them on," explains Dr. Goldsmid. "The ease of putting these lenses on is simply another reason to be involved in this market."

"You can't tell who might be interested," says Dr. Cassel, who provides special effects custom contact lenses to the motion picture, television and video industries. "There was a guy in here the other night who spent $2,000 on colored contact lenses, and you would never have known he might do that, just by looking at him," says Dr. Cassel.

"It's not good to pre-judge patients; to assume that this person would not be interested or that person cannot afford it," emphasizes Dr. Gailmard. "It's important to give all of your patients all of the options, and then allow them to make up their own minds."

Many practitioners say that colored contact lenses have found pockets of success. These pockets can be found in urban areas or in small-town America, in affluent areas as well as in areas where there doesn't appear to be much disposable income.

Not only do successful practitioners offer colored contact lenses to first-time wearers, but frequently that is the group from which you can expect your greatest success. First-time contact wearers are not set in a pattern, so a lot of them go for it, says Dr. Gailmard.

"Once patients get used to colored lenses they often don't go back to clear," adds Dr. Weberling.

METHODS OF CULTIVATING INTEREST

Marketing colored contact lenses is key. A display of some type, posters, special place mats and the like can make a big difference in stirring interest for your colored contact lens practice.

"We use Wesley Jessen place mats which show all the colors using pictures of eyes with lenses," says Dr. Cornetta.

Dr. Gailmard uses a computerized video machine which captures still pictures of a patient's face, outlining the iris. "We show them their face with their own iris and then what it would look like if the color was enhanced with a lens. This gives them a rough idea of what they would look like," he says.

Sometimes, with help from major contact lens companies, practitioners will send a direct-mail brochure and letter, showing what's available and offering a free trial pair of colored contact lenses. Most practitioners will offer a free trial pair of disposable colored lenses at just about any time.

Dr. Goldsmid attracts patients' attention with point-of-purchase easels and an attractive light box with a striking model whose eyes change from blue to green to aqua. "It really catches their eye," he says.

Frequently, the fact that you offer colored contact lenses is its own marketing tool for the rest of your practice. People who come in for them frequently need glasses or other services also, explains Dr. Weberling. In his practice, the contact lens technician calls wearers who are due for a follow-up or who might be out of disposable lenses. "The calls are worth it because seven out of 10 patients will make an appointment right then during that call," he says.

Practitioners who use colored contact lenses view working with them as fun, and their patients do too, fostering a positive feeling about the doctor and his practice. This adds some excitement to the patient's experience and usually means a return visit for contact lenses or other services and supplies.

"We even caught a case of glaucoma in a young patient who had come in just to buy colored contact lenses," notes Dr. Collins.

The only negative is the occasional patient who wants to try on every single color, which can be very time-consuming.

Practitioners usually require a basic exam when patients are interested in colored contact lenses, even when they are interested in plano lenses.

"There's a $35 regular exam fee. It makes sense to do this for eye health, and to keep people who really are not interested from trying on many lenses," says Dr. Collins.

Remember too, that that even though these lenses are a fashion accessory, you must still take time to explain to patients that they have to take care of the lenses. "They must be cleaned and disinfected, and the patients need to be seen for a follow-up. This needs to be made clear to them," Dr. Collins says.

YOUR STAFF IS A VALUABLE MARKETING TOOL

In the majority of cases, it's the practitioner who mentions the contact lens options, including colored lenses. But our experts agree that the staff is pivotal to the process.

"The doctor can't spend a tremendous amount of time on it, so you have to have a strong staff working with the patients," emphasizes Dr. Cassel.

"My tech has been with me 16 years, is a tinted lens wearer and looks great in them, so that can help a lot," adds Dr. Weberling. "Some patients will see the staff and say, 'Gee, your eyes look so pretty, is that your natural color?'"

FINANCIAL REWARDS

For many successful practitioners, colored contact lenses constitute a stable part of their practice. The lenses vary from 20 percent to 50 percent of total contact lens sales for those who dispense them regularly. Some say the market has flattened out a bit, while others are experiencing growth in colored lens sales.

"It's very much a growing market, especially among disposable lens patients," says Dr. Goldsmid, who uses a lot of enhancer-type lenses. The most popular colors in his practice are hazel, green and blue.

Some say the colored contact lens market took a big jump about four years ago, primarily because of the availability of disposable lenses. Since that time, growth has been slow, but steady. The increased marketing efforts by colored contact lens manufacturers like CIBA Vision and Wesley Jessen illustrates that they believe the market has not peaked and that there is still plenty of room for growth.

Dr. Collins believes growth in terms of more colors will remain flat, but will pick up with a greater variety of parameters being offered, making the lenses available to far more patients. And Dr. Weberling believes there's a tremendous market for plano, one-day disposable colored contact lenses worn to match certain apparel or for a particular occasion.

How profitable are colored contact lenses? That depends on the individual practitioner.

"I charge about double what I charge for clear lenses," says Dr. Collins. "It's not a hard sell, really. They almost sell themselves."

Dr. Goldsmid charges $89 for four boxes of clear lenses and $129 for the same volume of tinted contact lenses. Dr. Gailmard charges $60 for four boxes of clear lenses and $88 for four boxes of colored lenses.

"The money is in the professional fees for the services," Dr. Gailmard says.

"It's smart to give patients what they want. Colored contact lenses are an important segment of the market, and it's one area that's not being taken over by laser surgery," Dr. Gailmard says. CLS