Every January, Contact Lens Spectrum reports on an international review of the contact lens industry. I enjoy comparing my current practice habits with those of colleagues around the world. One area which I am often surprised about is cosmetic contact lens fitting. This contact lens category is a large part of our practice and could be an untapped opportunity for many others.

The Big Picture

Cosmetic contact lenses make up a significant portion of contact lens fits in Asian countries. Since the introduction of limbal ring lenses, they have dominated the market, representing 40% to 60% of soft contact lens fits in Asian countries such as Korea and Taiwan (Singh et al, 2012).

While this popularity may not be seen within the United States market, the opportunity is still there.

In 2019, a study was published that consisted of a survey of 686 women from Texas and reviewed cosmetic contact lens knowledge and experience (Berenson et al, 2019). The results revealed that 1 in 4 women reported a history of using cosmetic lenses.

Women born in the United States, who knew someone who wore cosmetic lenses or who had visited an eyecare practitioner in the past year, were more likely to have used cosmetic contact lenses (Berenson et al, 2019).

When we look at prescribing habits in the United States, it is easy to see that cosmetic contact lenses are not offered as frequently as other contact lens designs (Morgan et al, 2021).

But when focusing on purchasing habits, it’s clear that patients in the U.S. are using these lenses. If this is the case, how are these patients receiving their lenses?

Research shows that they are not receiving lenses from authorized sources—in some instances they are even borrowing lenses from friends (Berenson et al, 2019).

Even if eyecare practitioners are not presenting or recommending these lenses, patients are still receiving these products.

Overcoming Obstacles

As contact lens practitioners, we can all understand the challenges that this presents, but how can eyecare practitioners have a positive effect on this part of the contact lens industry?

The first thing we should do is acknowledge that these patients are already in our offices. The connection between beauty and wellness is extremely popular in various health care industries. Eye care is no different. Patients not only want to see their best, we have the opportunity to help them look their best as well.

In our office, we initiate this conversation during the case history portion of the exam, but subtle reminders are provided through marketing materials placed throughout the office.

Being proactive about the cosmetic contact lens conversation may help prevent patients from seeking online or other potentially risky options.

For our office, great success with this patient population has been achieved by partnering with local makeup artists. These “influencers” can be easily accessed via social media channels and generally have strong followings.

A campaign that partners with them that introduces and promotes new colors and technologies in cosmetic lenses can go a long way in increasing your credibility and patient base. These efforts will also ensure patients receive the safest option for cosmetic contact lenses. CLS

References

1. Contact lens market in Asia booming. AsiaOne. Available at www.asiaone.com/health/contact-lens-market-asia-booming . Accessed May 1, 2022.
2. Singh S, Satani D, Patel A, Vhankade R. Colored cosmetic contact lenses: an unsafe trend for the younger generation. Cornea. 2012 Jul;31:777-779.
3. Berenson AB, Hirth JM, Chang M, Merkley KH. Knowledge and Use of Cosmetic Contact Lenses Among Reproductive-Age Women. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2019 Mar;28:403-409.
4. Morgan PB, Woods CA, Tranoudis IG, et al. International Contact Lens Prescribing in 2021. Contact Lens Spectrum. 2022 Jan;37:32-38.