Keeping Up with Patients and Products

“You had a pair of Brand Z lenses last time. How did you get on with them? All OK? Should we just do the same again, but with this new prescription?”

Really? Same thing again?

Does your life look the same now as it did two or three years ago? 

We need to keep up with how patients are using their eyes and how their activities may have changed. For example, I spend more time now than ever staring at my iPad (I’m even writing this on my iPad). I’m always looking at my smart phone. And last year I bought a smartwatch – that takes some looking at, too. I also changed my car, so I’ve gone from a reclined position in a lower vehicle to a more upright, higher position in an SUV.

People’s lives change. Accordingly, so do their visual demands and their postures. As eye care professionals, we are duty-bound to stay up to date with new products. We need to make sure patients have their prescription translated into the best lens for that prescription with a genuine visual task analysis and thorough product knowledge. What’s the point in drilling the prescription down to a high level of accuracy, if we are going to try and correct it with 50-year-old technology? 

It’s our job to know about the best new products out there. So, give your local laboratory a call – ask them about what they are excited about. Chances are this enthusiasm could find its way to your dispensing desk – and may influence what you recommend. 

Rather than simply sticking with what a patient had last time, you might find a great new choice of lens to boost their work and leisure lives.