ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR MODELS used to explain how technologies are adopted is Geoffrey Moore’s “Crossing the Chasm,” a book originally published in 1991.¹ It describes five groups of adopters and tries to offer insights into how one crossed the so-called “chasm” within the technology adoption curve. The chasm represents the space between the “innovators” and the “early adopters” (as opposed to the “early” and “late majorities” in technology adoption). Technological advances are seen in eye care frequently. New diagnostics and new therapeutics seem to enter the marketplace yearly, if not monthly. But how do practitioners decide whether or not to adopt these new technologies in their clinical practices? What factors drive decisions about adopting medical technologies?

The first silicone hydrogel contact lenses were launched in the late 1990s—10 years later, Contact Lens Spectrum (CLS) reported estimates of 60% usage by material within the marketplace.² However, it is important to remember that this lens material was in the making for 20 to 30 years before that, with the first patent for this material technology being issued in the late 1970s.

Fast forward to the present day, and CLS’s reported estimates range up to about 70% for the U.S. market and 60% globally.³ Has this technology crossed the chasm? The answer may not be so simple, as we learn more about concepts of precision medicine and the importance of matching therapeutics (or contact lens materials in this case) with the individual patient. Beyond contact lens materials, there has also been a resurgence in more specialized contact lens designs (think GPs and sclerals and orthokeratology).

These examples show that, at a simple level, it is easy to fall into the mindset that new technologies are always better (and therefore should be adopted). Yet, crossing the chasm may not always be the best road traveled for you or your patients.

References

1. Moore GA. Crossing the Chasm. Harper Business Essentials. 1991.
2. Nichols JJ. Contact Lenses 2009. Contact Lens Spectrum. 2010 Jan. Available at clspectrum.com/issues/2010/january-2010/contact-lenses-2009 . Accessed July 7, 2023.
3. Morgan PB, Woods CA, Tranoudis IG, et al. International Contact Lens Prescribing in 2022. Contact Lens Spectrum. 2023 Jan;38:28-35. Available at clspectrum.com/issues/2023/january-2023/international-contact-lens-prescribing-in-2022 . Accessed July 7, 2023.

JASON J. NICHOLS, OD, MPH, PHD

Editor-in-Chief

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