This pandemic has changed quite a few things in eye care; it has allowed extra time for many people, practitioners, and manufacturers to evaluate their future plans. Change can be a challenge, so think ahead and be prepared. Eyecare professionals have had pressure for change from all directions in the past and even more so now.

With advancing technology and the increased utilization of telemedicine along with increasing platforms for ordering contact lenses, the pressure is on for change. Practitioners can provide better service and improved outcomes with the continuous change in the contact lens industry if they are prepared properly. I do not have all of the answers, but it starts with creating a culture for change.

In a 2002 Harvard Business Review article, Larry Hirschhorn described how to institute organizational change. Change efforts fail typically because of the following.

1. Corporate Culture Poor office habits can create a negative culture. To succeed, you must create an environment for change.
2. Communication This should be “bottom-up” versus “top-down,” as top-down communication rarely works. Try to develop a vision of your office with the rest of your staff.
3. Lack of Clearly Defined Goals and Ways of Measuring Success
4. Too Busy for Change Change will be more attainable if you delegate some of the workload.
5. Becoming too Impatient Remember that some changes will take a long time to develop. It can be helpful to have a checklist of short-term and long-term goals.
6. Financial Reasons

In this era, communication is critical. Lead by example, but allow staff members to lead projects, including the implementation of new contact lens technology, materials, designs, and modalities. Technology will lead the way. Take, for example, new optical coherence tomography (OCT) that can image the anterior surface and that can help provide information on a specialty contact lens fit.

It can be a challenge to understand what is happening on a patient’s eye with scleral lenses. OCT technology can provide an image with the exact size of the vault between a patient’s cornea and the contact lens (Figure 1). It is important to understand whether there is enough vault to keep the cornea safe while providing optimal vision and comfort.

Change in Contact Lens Practice

Implementation of something new and exciting can help create an environment with a positive culture. Examine your contact lens offering, and look for something unique that may bring an added benefit to the practice while improving patient visual outcomes.

If that lens requires a new instrument or technology to successfully provide that service, add that into your return on investment (ROI) calculations. And, if the numbers make sense, look for ways to invest in your contact lens practice and to improve the office culture. CLS

For references, please visit www.clspectrum.com/references and click on document #300.