This article was originally published in a sponsored newsletter.

We lose around $275 annually per contact lens dropout¹, not including the future value of contact lens-wearing patients, potential contact lens referrals from those patients, or the exponential increase of that cost. It would be nice if patients would tell us when they are going to drop out, but that rarely happens. So, what can we do to prevent patients from just silently stopping their lens wear?
 
Address every contact lens wearer as a potential dropout and consider ways to prevent the leak:

1. Be a detective by asking the right questions. Many patients do not like to complain and will not offer insightful information without prompting. Instead of asking “are your contact lenses ok?”, consider a more specific battery of questions:
   • What time do you remove your contact lenses? Why do you remove them at that time? (if their answer is earlier than you expect)
   • What time do your lenses start feeling dry?
   • When do you start to experience blurry or fluctuating vision?
2. Offer an upgraded daily disposable contact lens. If you are using the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, consider changing your approach. Your patients chose you for their eye care, and they want to hear from you if there is something that may help their vision or comfort with their contact lens wear. Consider saying something like, “I know it seems like you are doing well with your current monthly contact lens, but have you ever considered daily disposable lenses? They are more convenient and are often more comfortable for longer periods of time because you are wearing a clean, fresh lens every day.” Also, let patients know about potential innovations with newly developed wetting agents in their specific visual category (spherical, astigmatic, presbyopic, and others). If they don’t hear about new technology from you, they will hear it from someone else.

Contact lens dropouts are painful to your eyecare business and unwanted by your patients. Patients do not want to be considered a dropout, but they lose faith in their lenses’ ability to satisfy their visual or comfort needs. So, develop your strategy to prevent one contact lens dropout at a time.
 

REFERENCES
1. Rumpakis J. New Data on Contact Lens Dropouts: An International Perspective. Rev Optom. January 15, 2010. Accessed April 6, 2023. https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/new-data-on-contact-lens-dropouts-an-international-perspective