This article was originally published in a sponsored newsletter.

I often think about the business of optometry with regards to the products and services we provide in our clinic, as well as the product life cycle curve at its heart (Figure 1).

This curve can be applied to just about anything in business, and the phases in which products live will vary greatly. For example, the PMMA rigid lens was the earliest and only option for contact lenses until GP lenses were developed, followed by soft contact lenses. In other words, PMMA lived in the growth and maturity phases for a while until something better was introduced. When it comes to how you practice optometry, ask yourself where you live on this curve: Do you wait until a product or service has hit the maturity phase until you make it available to your patients, or are you the first doctor in your area to offer an innovation when it's introduced?

Living on the left side of this curve with fitting and discussing new technology as it is developed offers your practice the largest business opportunity. So, how can you work toward the development and introduction phases with daily disposable contact lenses? 

1. Set the stage pre-launch.  I love to tell patients about new options that are coming out soon. I say, “This lens does not come in your prescription at this time, but I am expecting the manufacturer to launch that technology in the next six to 12 months.” Giving patients this information encourages them to ask about the technology when they return the following year.
2. Keep new technology in stock.  This can be a challenge with new daily disposable technology, but you don’t want to make excited patients wait. We all know that even a small change in technology and prescription can make a big difference in patients’ perceived success, so make sure someone is in charge of keeping these lenses in stock.
3. Stay consistent.  When your clinic has made the switch to daily disposables as the first-line contact lens, stay consistent with that strategy across all prescriptions and new technology as it is developed and launched. 

Daily disposables were introduced many years ago. They have had a great run in eyecare practices, and I expect them to be a workhorse for many years to come, given the new vision options and material technologies that are continually being developed and introduced. Look for ways to advance your practice by moving your clinic to the left side of this product life cycle curve with daily disposable contact lenses.