CooperVision published a new report in its Consumer Insights series, which explores the intersection of beliefs and behaviors between contact lens wearers and eye care professionals (ECPs). The latest edition is a retrospective review of six previous surveys and combines responses from more than 45,000 consumers and 900 ECPs across 11 countries.1
The holistic evaluation uncovered common themes across the survey topics, especially several ECP-to-patient communication gaps. To counter these challenges, the data suggest that small modifications to approaching patient care will enhance overall experience and elevate trust. In the report, CooperVision recommends three particularly helpful techniques—what it calls the AIR method:
- Ask patients about any concerns they have with their eyes.
- Inform patients about all their options for vision correction.
- Recommend products that are the healthiest option for patients’ eyes, no matter the cost.
The full report can be accessed online at https://coopervision.com/practitioner/practice-building/consumer-insights/round-up-report.
“Deeper analysis of our extensive Consumer Insights series data set has produced even more valuable information that can aid both ECPs and their patients,” said Pamela Jackson, Senior Director, Global Communications & Digital Marketing, CooperVision, who leads the initiative. “Our commitment to being a good partner includes sharing unique insights that can help improve practice management, as well as patient satisfaction, retention, and referral. It’s one of several distinctive ways that CooperVision is helping ECPs around the world grow their businesses.”
The report emphasizes that patients described a reluctance to initiate discussions about their options for vision correction during eye examinations, even when they were experiencing some issues or inconvenience, leaving the responsibility for proactive conversations squarely with ECPs.
Patients are generally not well informed about the latest advances in eye care and contact lenses, such as new contact lens materials, lenses for digital device use, expanded prescription ranges, multifocal lenses, 1-day lenses, and occasional wear options. Instead, they trust that their ECPs will remain up to date and that they will recommend the best option for individual lifestyle and ocular health needs, regardless of cost. The Consumer Insights series surveys illustrated that these ECP-driven conversations are often absent from exams.
“We believe our latest report provides an unvarnished look at the most common issues hindering eye care practices from maximizing their success with contact lenses. This should be a ‘must read’ publication for anyone fitting and interacting with current and potential contact lens wearers, from seasoned professionals to recent graduates,” said Jackson.
Past Consumer Insights series reports, including those that focus on dual wear, consumer confidence, silicone hydrogels, and frequent replacement lens-to-1-day lens transitions are available at https://coopervision.com/practitioner/practice-building/consumer-insights.
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References:
1 CVI data on file. Individual Consumer Insights series from 2017-2020 reports from which the data are derived are available at https://coopervision.com/practitioner/practice-building/consumer-insights, and are documented in the “Patient insights provide evidence for a proactive communication approach by eye care professionals” retrospective review.
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