Contact Lens Fitters are Doomed

[Jason Carruthers]

Contact lenses are a doomed product. Don't think so? Ask your next client this question: Do you consider vision correction to be in the realm of medicine or fashion?

If the answer is A) Medicine, then:
Which is the more effective medical procedure? Contact lenses or laser surgery? (Laser surgery is best.)

If the answer is B) Fashion, then:
Which is the better fashion product? Contact lenses or glasses? (Glasses are best.)

If vision correction is not a function of medicine or fashion, then what is it? Contact lenses are in the middle of the road. Basically they are stuck in between laser surgery and glasses. They are certainly not the best of both worlds. On the contrary they are the worst of both worlds. They don't express your style but you still have to wear them and care for them. Business and nature favours the extremes, not the half-breeds. Remember the theory of evolution? The strongest swimmers made it across the sea, the weakest swimmers stayed where they were, but the average swimmers drowned.

Future ECP's will need to choose one side or the other to stay successful. Try to take the middle ground and you will drown in a sea of extreme competitors.

[For-Life]

How would eliminating contact lenses from my practice be a better choice? I do glasses and contacts and do well in both.

If I did not do contacts then some of my customers would go to my competitors.

[Aarlan]

I agree with Soft CTL, however, RGPs are a far different story. Fashioning yourself into a CTL fitter, rather than a SCTL seller is one way to succeed.

Laser surgery is all the rage, but when I tell my spectacle patients that there is only a 60-85% chance that they'll have 20/20 vision post op, plus the possibility of glare, double vision, ghosting, halos, starbursts, loss of contrast sensitivity, decentered ablations, diffuse lamellar keratitis, keratectasia (in which we need to fit with RGPs anyway), etc, often they tell me they'll wait for a few years.

Communication/Marketing is the key. We just need to do a better job of it than the other Os and Big Boxes.

AA

[drk]

Ah, but Jason, have you heard of silicone hydrogels?

No hyperbole:
Revolution #1 circa late '50's: the contact lens
Revolution #2 circa early '70's: the soft contact lens
Revolution #3 circa late '80's: the disposable contact lens
Revolution #4 circa early '00's: silicone hydrogels

They are that good. Therefore, your first contention is invalidated, so sorry. Nice topic, though! And I agree with your general philosophy, but it's misapplied, here.

BTW: Windsor has to be the world's capital of refractive surgery. Even here in midwest USA I've had one or two "Canadian jobs". Superb outcome for ridiculously low prices, I may add. It's just that not everyone is a candidate, and CLs are very, very good these days.

[Aarlan]

Silicone Hydrogels will allow the Independent to stay ahead for a short while, but the chain's ability to adapt more quickly than ever, and with the pervasive notion that CTLs are a commodity to be purchased from the lowest cost avenue lead me to believe that the professional who is a CTL fitter first and foremost may in fact be a dinosaur. It is still a valuable service in addition to spectacles, but CTL fitting as a vocation by itself is a dying art, and no product innovation is going to fix that.
Once again, if you are fitting specialty lenses, RGPs, keratoconus, etc, then that's one thing, but if you rely on lenses (silicone Hydrogel or otherwise) that WalMart's Docs can prescribe and 1800 can supply, then you're in a world of trouble.
AA

[culland]

I'm curious to see what Chip has to say about this!

[Joann Raytar]

Aarlan, I agree with you regarding soft lenses. If the discount suppliers follow suit with other, non-optical, discount suppliers, soft contacts may end up being a dead end. Discount places undercut everyone else's prices until they get market share. Once they have that then their prices start going up. (We already see this happening with 1-800; we just realized that some of our prices are lower than theirs.) Once prices start to rise again, then people start considering other options.

On the other hand, if prices at discount suppliers stay low then CL fitters will be forced to raise fitting fees and again people will start considering other options.

Consumers often forget that nothing is free, you always pay for discounts somewhere else in the supply line and you get what you pay for.

[OPTIDONN]

Contact lens are here to stay. For many (people with irregular astigmatism and keratoconus) will not get the vision with glasses that they can get with contact lenses. And of course you can express yourself with contact lenses. Color contacts are a big seller here, though it is much more subtle than glasses. In compairing contacts to laser eye surgery the surgery is by far not the best. It does not always result in 20/20 vision and has a risk of permenant complications. And not every one is a candidate for it. Besides glasses have a tendancy to slip and fall, break, fog up, and what not. Vision with contacts lenses, in general, is far superior than with glasses. It gives a much more natural vision. Monovision also provides much better vision (in most situations) than bifocals and progressives for presbyopes. The convenience offered by extended wear far surpasses the convenience of glasses. Also Corneal Refractive Therapy is another option. If you are a candidate it can offer near perfect vision and is reversable with very little danger. Jason I agree with you most of the time but I think that you are wrong here.

[Dannyboy]

If you own your own optical business and the state in which you practice allows you to fit soft contact lenses go for it. Soft lenses enable you combine your spectacle and sunglass sales with contact lenses. The final ticket is always much higher and you are providing a service to your patient. Contact lenses are here to stay regardless of the procedures that may come out to compete with glasses or contact lenses. There will always be a contact lens wearer.

Contact lens fitting is slowly passing from the Doctors hands into the private opticians mainly because it is not profitable at the doctors level to continue to offer the service. Their optician or even the independent opticians will start to benefit from this trend. It is much easier for an optician after completing the spectacle sale to ask the patient if they are interested in wearing contact lenses. If they say yes, rest assure that depending on your skill level you may have a very happy patient for life and a much higher sale ticket.

Soft contact lenses are easy to fit, are extremely safe and can be removed if the results are less than expected. Why would you say that contact lens fitters are doom ? The opposite is true in this case even if one wishes to deal with soft contact lenses in addition to spectacles.

If you are an Optician who only does soft contact lenses, then I would say that you are in trouble but I have not met one soft contact lens fitter that does not have the hand in the eyeglass pie, wether an OD, MD or an Optician). If you are working for a doctor or a clinic, most definetly you will be fitting specialty lenses and your fees are always much higher in that case.

Another interesting fact is that the MD/OD is obligated to release the Rx to the patient. In the case of Opticians, the FTC new rule has exempted opticians from forcing them to release the contact lens prescription mainly because in all states (with the exception of California) the Opticians do not have prescribing priviledges. You are obligated to release the prescription if you provide contact lens fitting services and your state allows you to write contact lens prescription. So in essence the optician can fit the customer but cannot write the rx, thus the patient cannot fill the rx somewhere else. State laws are hard to change and modify. Is this little business advantage a gift or a foe? Who knows? Now if someone out there knows more about this please enlighten us.

Dannyboy

[Jedi]

Contact lenses are a doomed product. Don't think so? Ask your next client this question: Do you consider vision correction to be in the realm of medicine or fashion?

If the answer is A) Medicine, then:
Which is the more effective medical procedure? Contact lenses or laser surgery? (Laser surgery is best.)

If the answer is B) Fashion, then:
Which is the better fashion product? Contact lenses or glasses? (Glasses are best.)

If vision correction is not a function of medicine or fashion, then what is it? Contact lenses are in the middle of the road. Basically they are stuck in between laser surgery and glasses. They are certainly not the best of both worlds. On the contrary they are the worst of both worlds. They don't express your style but you still have to wear them and care for them. Business and nature favours the extremes, not the half-breeds. Remember the theory of evolution? The strongest swimmers made it across the sea, the weakest swimmers stayed where they were, but the average swimmers drowned.

Future ECP's will need to choose one side or the other to stay successful. Try to take the middle ground and you will drown in a sea of extreme competitors.

Jason,
I really enjoy your posts and I am glad another Canuck has joined Optiboard, but honestly you can't actually believe what you have posted above. :bbg:

1)More effective medical procedure. While SCL are moving closer to a "one size fits all" OTC type product, calling LASIK or any other type of refractive surgery more "effective" medical procedure is like calling Wendy's Hamburger the "heathly" alternative. I think "permanent" or "irreversable" are better words to describe refractive surgery. Great results can come from either, poor results can come from both as well, (you can take CL out). Not everyone is a candidate for surgery, "virtually" anyone could wear some form of CL. As it stands now, presbyopia cannot be corrected with surgery, some contacts are quite accomodating for presbyopes. High cyl's, special fits ,etc. just can't be treated with refractive surgery.

2) Fashion. I work in a high-end shop in downtown Calgary, so I do feel I can comment on fashion. At this very moment, nothing is more "fashionable" than large (HUGE) 6/8 base sunglasses. Oliver Peoples, Chanel, Christian Roth, Dior, etc, etc. This kind of stuff is just silly to rx, so the only way to properly wear it is with contacts. Eyeglasses are getting more and more fashionable and more celebs are wearing glasses (men more than women), but until Paris is seen wearing RX Chanel, full-time CL will still be every fashionistas little secret.

[For-Life]

I can vouge for Jedi

I have been to his store. It is one of the more fashionable stores out there. So if anyone knows what is coming it is him.

[Jason Carruthers]

How would eliminating contact lenses from my practice be a better choice? I do glasses and contacts and do well in both.

If I did not do contacts then some of my customers would go to my competitors.

I'm not suggesting to stop selling contacts while there is a demand for them. I'm talking about a long term trend that is inevitable in the contact lens product category.

Fast forward into the near future when surgical results are virtually perfect. As drk points out, contacts have evolved. The same evolution will happen with surgery. Radial Keratotomy was replaced with Lasik and that will be replaced with something else in the future. (Intacs and so on.)

You can spend billions of dollars on c/l research and no matter how great the next material is, a contact lens is just a contact lens. Yes there are always exceptions, not everyone is a candidate, etc etc. Aside from the current limitations of corrective surgery, why would anyone wear contact lenses if they could have better vision with surgery? If you think surgery is a passing fad, you should think again.

[OPTIDONN]

Very true but in the future when refractive surgery gets perfected (as much as possable) and the price goes down we will see the sale of glasses suffer along with contact lens sales.

[Snitgirl]

I'm not suggesting to stop selling contacts while there is a demand for them. I'm talking about a long term trend that is inevitable in the contact lens product category.

Fast forward into the near future when surgical results are virtually perfect. As drk points out, contacts have evolved. The same evolution will happen with surgery. Radial Keratotomy was replaced with Lasik and that will be replaced with something else in the future. (Intacs and so on.)

You can spend billions of dollars on c/l research and no matter how great the next material is, a contact lens is just a contact lens. Yes there are always exceptions, not everyone is a candidate, etc etc. Aside from the current limitations of corrective surgery, why would anyone wear contact lenses if they could have better vision with surgery? If you think surgery is a passing fad, you should think again.

GOOOOOOOOOO CANUCKS!!! lol, sorry, my husband is Canadian :cheers:

[Jason Carruthers]

Very true but in the future when refractive surgery gets perfected (as much as possable) and the price goes down we will see the sale of glasses suffer along with contact lens sales.

Contacts will be replaced by surgery but not glasses.

Think back in time (1800's). For personal transportation, you had 2 main choices.

1. A bicycle (slow).
2. Horse and carriage (fast).

Then what was invented? The car (fastest).

Horse and carriage was caught in the middle, replaced by the car. Why are bicycles still around? They serve a different function than cars. People WANTED a slow form of manual transportation. Horse and carriage served the same function as the car, but not as well (fast automatic transportation).

Compare vision correction. Same pattern. Contacts and surgery serve the same function (vision correct). Glasses serve a different function (fashion accessory).

[mullo]

Jason, Do you fit/sell contacts at your location?

[drk]

Jason, old man, if you knew more about refractive surgery you'd be less confident in it's ability to serve the masses. I do a lot of refractive surgery, so I know!

The points brought up about CL specialists' demise seem correct, but as a prolific fitter, I tell you that it's not so simple about 50% of the time, and expertise is extremely valuable here. The less you know the less complex it seems.

The clarity of your ideas is laudable, and the focus of your business is superb, but the model doesn't extend as far as you'd like it to. It's almost like saying "progressives are doomed, since they are neither perfect for far vision, nor perfect for near vision" (an analogy a wise optiboarder used on a sunclips thread).

A better model is that of the multi-service provider: vision care as the umbrella under which a variety of different services are rendered.

[Jason Carruthers]

Jason, old man, if you knew more about refractive surgery you'd be less confident in it's ability to serve the masses. I do a lot of refractive surgery, so I know!

Drk, what you perceive as your advantageous viewpoint, I see as a hinderance. You are experiencing the forest and tree effect. The insider sees the trees. The outsider sees the forest. You are the insider, focused on the small details, and blind to the big picture. Surgery will never serve everyone, only those who see vision correction as a medical problem. Those who see it as a fashion will gravitate to glasses. Where does that leave contacts?

Adage.com this morning reported that Pepsi Edge was officially a failure and is being pulled after its introduction one year ago. What is Pepsi Edge? A mid-calorie cola. Half diet, half regular. If you want a cola you buy Pepsi. If you want a diet cola you buy Diet Pepsi. Where does that leave Pepsi Edge? How much do you want to bet that Coke C2 will be killed soon?

[Jedi]

I can vouge for Jedi

I have been to his store. It is one of the more fashionable stores out there. So if anyone knows what is coming it is him.

Thanks For-Life, I wish I could take credit for the store, but our owner is the one responsible for keeping us fashion forward. I will say all the opticians here contribute their individual styles to keep the offices fresh and cool.

[Jedi]

Adage.com this morning reported that Pepsi Edge was officially a failure and is being pulled after its introduction one year ago. What is Pepsi Edge? A mid-calorie cola. Half diet, half regular. If you want a cola you buy Pepsi. If you want a diet cola you buy Diet Pepsi. Where does that leave Pepsi Edge? How much do you want to bet that Coke C2 will be killed soon?

Sure C2 will get killed but that analogy will not work for our field. As I stated in another thread, offices that do not currently fit CL's, or new dispensaries (without an OD) should stay away from fitting CL's. High start-up cost, chair time away from sales floor, low margins make the ROI for NEW CL endeavors very low. Offices that currently fit CL should keep fitting them, most of the initial cost has already been recouped and they a great product to enhance non-RX sunglass sales, or to keep patient loyalty. Many CL patients will make multiple visits to pick up a box or two and will "browse" around while waiting, increasing the potential for a sale.

[OPTIDONN]

Contacts will be replaced by surgery but not glasses.

Think back in time (1800's). For personal transportation, you had 2 main choices.

1. A bicycle (slow).
2. Horse and carriage (fast).

Then what was invented? The car (fastest).

Horse and carriage was caught in the middle, replaced by the car. Why are bicycles still around? They serve a different function than cars. People WANTED a slow form of manual transportation. Horse and carriage served the same function as the car, but not as well (fast automatic transportation).

Compare vision correction. Same pattern. Contacts and surgery serve the same function (vision correct). Glasses serve a different function (fashion accessory).

It is a little inacurate to compare medical devices to a bike and horse and buggy. Contacts do provide much better vision as opposed to glasses, and in my opinion are much more advanced and superior to glasses. We sell more contacts here than we do glasses! Honestly I wish you were right. I personally cannot stand contact lenses and the profit margin on them is so slim. If people spent the money they do contacts on glasses we would be rollin in it baby!! I still believe that contacts are not going any where. Besides when Lasik started to become popular many thought that the optical industry would suffer but that was not the case. I think that glasses, contacts, and refractive surgery will all stay. Each one is unique and serves a specific purpose and benefit the patients specific needs. However if a pill comes out that corrects vision then were all in trouble!

[Jedi]

However if a pill comes out that corrects vision then were all in trouble!

Side effects: Blurry vision

:bbg:

[Jason Carruthers]

Read your own words. Despite your desire to resist the future, you all seem to know it is inevitable.

Aarlan:
"the professional who is a CTL fitter first and foremost may in fact be a dinosaur. CTL fitting as a vocation by itself is a dying art, and no product innovation is going to fix that."

Jo:
"Aarlan, I agree with you regarding soft lenses."

Optidonn:
"in the future when refractive surgery gets perfected and the price goes down we will see the sale of glasses suffer along with contact lens sales."

Dannyboy:
"If you are an Optician who only does soft contact lenses, then I would say that you are in trouble"

Jedi:
"permanent" is a better word "to describe refractive surgery."
"nothing is more "fashionable" than large sunglasses."

DrK:
"The points brought up about CL specialists' demise seem correct"

[OPTIDONN]

How is it that you think contacts will be left in the dust in the future and by still selling them we are resisting the future, that is by far not the case. You can theorize all you want about the future of eye wear but you are doing it primarily from a one sided point of view. You sell mainly for the fasion that is your specialty. If you were to ask any one who works for an O.D. or M.D. and in a clinical environment you would see otherwise. If you don't believe me just ask any doctor.

[OPTIDONN]

I feel that I need to make it clear that when I say "you are looking at it from a fashion point of view" it was it was by no means ment as jab or to be rude. Making people look good and feel good is your business. I didn't want to make it see, rude or anything.:cheers: