The 1-day disposable contact lens industry is always advancing. There are new materials, new surface treatments, new optics, and new designs. These new designs can provide many advantages to our patients every day. How you describe these advancements to your patients will make a big difference in how they are adopted in your clinic. I lump these new designs in 3 buckets; improved comfort, improved vision, and/or improved ocular health.

1. Improved comfort. Describe the new comfort technology and expected goals in patient friendly terms. For example, new contact lens surface designs and treatments utilize specific surface chemistry and engineering to achieve the desired outcome. It could be helpful to describe it differently to your patients: “This new lens utilizes advanced technology to make the contact lens surface smoother and more similar to the eye’s natural tears.” That outcome is improved, longer-lasting, all-day contact lens wearing comfort. I love hearing from my patients “I can’t even feel this lens in my eye.” Set the stage with what the new design features.

2. Improved vision. This desired outcome can happen in quite a few different ways. It could be improved stability with a toric lens design and/or improved optics with any lens design. This is easy to discuss with presbyopic patients,  as they may have previously tried multifocal contact lenses unsuccessfully. Many new multifocal advancements continually attempt to improve the range of clear vision for presbyopic patients. Set the stage as this technology cannot provide us with the same vision that we had as an 18-year-old, but describe these improved designs as “improved, clear vision for 90% of our visual needs throughout the day.” This is especially true if the fit guides are followed closely.

3. Improved ocular health. This feature is probably not as exciting for our patients unless they have had contact lens-related dry eyes or a history of a contact lens-related medical event. Many patients do appreciate wearing the newest lens materials, which can minimize their potential complications and improve their long-term ocular surface health. Focus on that positive and improve the value for the contact lens care provided in your clinic.

This is not rocket science, but it is science. That science may provide our patient improved comfort, vision, ocular health, or all 3 of them. Describe that intended outcome and your patients will often appreciate that new contact lens wearing experience.  

 This content is sponsored by CooperVision.