Illustration by Kyle Raetz

Suppose your boss or accountant challenged you to increase your dispensing business by 50 percent next year. How would you approach the task? And suppose they added that you had to accomplish this without driving away any patients.

There are two ways most people think that it could be achieved. Choice one: Increase patient flow through the office by 50 percent. If you have that kind of marketing ability, however, you should be the CEO of a dot-com company. Choice two: Raise fees by 50 percent. Do that and you won't last the first week.

There is, however, an effective way to increase your gross by 50 percent without driving away patients. It's concentrating on dispensing multiple pairs of eyewear.

MULTIPLE PAIR PURSUITS

There were efforts to encourage multiple pair dispensing dating back to the early 1900s. The Better Vision Institute (BVI) was formed in 1929 for that specific purpose, and it sponsored the industry's first Eyewear Fashion Show at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1930. The BVI still promotes the concept of multiple pair and is an active part of the Vision Council of America (VCA).

In 1961, the American frame industry formed a group called Fashion Eyewear Group of America (FEGA) with the express function of promoting fashion eyewear. One year later, the July 1962 issue of Vogue magazine devoted its entire beauty section to eyewear fashions.

More recently, major manufacturers have promoted the "eyewear wardrobe" concept. Color coordinating eyewear and clothing has been promoted numerous times. Vision Expo speakers often compare eyewear to shoes, reminding attendees how silly it is to have 10 pairs of shoes and one pair of eyeglasses, and promote VCA's Envision Yourself program.

We have tried logic and we have tried fashion, but nothing has fully accomplished what the industry wants-multiple-pair sales. There is another effective way, and it's a powerful tool that rests in the hands of the professions. It's recommending the value and benefits of eyewear specifically designed for work or hobbies.

It's important to understand that work-specific eyewear is never all-purpose eyewear. Consequently, when we recommend work-specific eyewear, it is nearly always a second pair. That's why nothing impacts and improves profits faster than dispensing work-specific eyewear, which falls into six basic categories (though patients may require product for more than one category).

Those six categories are:

• Computer use
• Work-related uses
• Sports or hobbies
• Comfort
• Convenience
• Safety

COMPUTER USE OPTIONS

The category that offers the most opportunities in today's electronic world is computer use. Computer-related vision problems are commonplace, and, in fact, almost every user has some type of visual complaint, ranging from minor dry eye complaints to raging headaches.

Overall, the insidious Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) has been good for the eyecare professions. Complaints may be difficult to resolve, but CVS is prompting thousands of people every day to request an eye exam.

Recently, a survey found the fastest growing age group on the Web to be senior citizens-an important fact because people in this age range have special visual needs when using computers. Unfortunately, their visual needs are most often ignored, so solving seniors' computer-related visual problems can bring a flood of referrals to the practice.

What lens options are available for computer users? Basic choices fall into four areas: 1) variable focus lenses, 2) special reading glasses, 3) special use progressives, and 4) anti-reflective coatings. We'll review each type in greater detail.

1. Variable focus lenses. This relatively new lens category is rapidly becoming the lens of choice for presbyopic computer users. Though progressives are also an option, variable focus lenses provide:

n an all-purpose lens for any task accomplished in the near to mid-distance range

• a wider reading and intermediate than any progressive
• a blurred but useful distance vision
• a wider field of vision
• a less expensive option
• a second pair option (can not be the primary pair)

These lenses also provide added visual comfort for virtually any work or play activity taking place in that near to mid range. A side benefit is you know that the people you put into variable focus lenses will continue ordering them for the balance of their life.

But don't restrict variable focus lenses to computer users. Consider them as a viable alternative for hobbies, reading, housework, and other kinds of indoor work and play. Once you are routinely recommending variable focus lenses to presbyopic patients, you will receive consistent compliments.

2. Single vision glasses. Providing computer users with a second pair of dedicated single vision computer glasses is a simple but effective way to handle certain types of work-related tasks.

When their visual range is totally within the near or mid-range area, with no distance visual tasks, single vision lenses in near or intermediate correction can work well.

While not as convenient as variable focus lenses, they provide a viable option when cost is a factor.

3. Special-design progressives. PALs are not always an ideal choice for computer users but special-purpose designs like Technica by American Optical do lend themselves to this use.

Unlike variable focus lenses, they have a shallow distance window at the top, providing sharp, clear vision across the room.

Soft design progressives can also work for computer use when fit considerably higher than normal. Don't attempt to have a single PAL serve for both daily wear and computer use. Computer work requires dedicated eyewear.

4. Anti-reflective coatings. AR coatings are more of an enhancement for computer users than a total solution. AR coatings do, however, add an element of comfort for computer users and should be routinely recommended for computer eyewear.

WORK-RELATED USES

Many occupations have specialized visual requirements. If it's an occupation you understand-a mail carrier, for example-you can probably determine what will best serve their visual needs.

When you don't understand the job, take time to quiz the patient. Patients like talking about their jobs and will appreciate the care and concern you show. Once you understand the requirements of the job, you can make recommendations.

Understanding leads to solutions, and the next time you have a patient in that line of work, you can dazzle them with your perceptive understanding of the visual requirements of their job.

SPORTS OR HOBBIES

Show a new, improved racket to a tennis buff and you have his or her full attention and often get an order. People dedicated to a sport or hobby are continually looking for anything that can improve performance.

Consider further that most sports are visually intense and that performance often depends on sharp clear vision. So, when you can offer better scores or superior performance to sports enthusiasts, you get their attention.

Some examples? Most outdoor activities benefit from prescription sunwear. Presbyopic golfers have special needs that can be solved by using a small round seg swung to one side, out of the way when putting or driving. Be familiar with various sun tints so you can advise which will best serve the patient's needs. Polarized sunwear is particularly useful for many types of outdoor sports.

THE COMFORT CATEGORY

A general category, comfort is also one that practically guarantees additional sales for your dispensary. Here's why.

"Comfort" in eyewear has become a buzzword. We see both frames and lenses advertised as providing increased comfort for wearers. Yet seldom do consumers come in asking specifically for "comfortable eyewear."

On the other hand, try offering comfortable eyewear to your patients and notice how quickly they respond. Doing so involves two components:

• Lenses: Among the ways to lighten the weight of eyeglasses is using lighter lens materials (poly, for instance), thinner lenses (high index/poly), or aspheric design lenses.
• Frames: Today's smaller and thinner frames are lighter, and smaller lenses mean lighter lenses as well. Replacing nose pads on metal or rimless mountings with larger silicone, self-conforming pads distributes weight over a broader area, providing increased comfort. Frames made of flexible metals or with spring hinges provide added comfort for wearers.

SELLING CONVENIENCE

Here's a category that few doctors or dispensers consider. Convince a presbyope to order an extra pair of glasses for reading, and they'll be grateful. You can almost bet, however, that half the time they need their readers, they won't be at hand. For convenience, they need one pair at home and another at the office. And, hobbyists need to keep an extra pair where they work on their hobby.

Here are a few other places where an extra pair is handy: Readers by the bedside and at the office, driving glasses in the car for sports or driving and variable focus glasses where they read their daily newspaper.

SAFETY AND EYE PROTECTION

Discussing eye protection issues for home or sports is an eyecare provider's responsibility. Consider this: In just one year, there were 2,300 eye injuries just from using a hammer. That same year, more than 198,000 eye injuries in or around the home. Consumers seldom think of eye protection issues so it's up to their eyewear provider to discuss eye safety.
Whether their needs are safety related or sports oriented, how can you zero in on each patient's individual visual requirements? To do it properly, you need to know the type of work they do, along with details about hobbies and sports activities. In a word, you must understand their lifestyle.

That brings up the subject of a "Lifestyle Questionnaire." Many offices have every patient fill out this important form, but many others still overlook it. How, for example, can the appropriate lenses be recommended without knowing details of the patient's work and play environment?

Equally important is the fact that patients want to know what the doctor thinks they should order. Doctor recommendations help the dispensary and build profits. When, for example, the doctor recommends task-specific eyewear to the patient, most order what the doctor recommends. This is a valuable patient service that is never perceived as "selling" when done in a professional manner.

Also, recommend work-specific eyewear to managed care patients. They are your best candidates. Suggest that they view their vision insurance as an allowance to be used toward their total visual requirements.

Because most or all of the cost for the first pair is paid for by their plan, this substantially reduces the total cost for their visual needs. Properly handled, dispensing multiple eyewear to managed care patients is relatively easy.

To sum it all up, prescribing for the patient's lifestyle is the most effective way to promote multiple pair eyewear sales. It is also the most effective way to please patients. And, finally, prescribing for the patient's lifestyle is by far and away the most effective way to substantially increase office profits. EB