If you thought it was difficult enough getting that older (55-plus) customer of yours into a progressive, try selling him or her a second pair of sunglass progressives. An additional $350-plus commitment from this already finicky patient?

Believe it or not, many dispensers are having success in fitting seniors in sunglass progressives. "Three-quarters of our business is in prescription sunglasses," says Kelly Shaffer, owner of the two-location, high-end eye biz inc. in Harrisburg, Pa. "And over half of that is in sunglass progressives."

And others say the future will bring additional growth in the category. "Especially as we see more and more evidence of the depletion of the ozone layer and the melting of the snowcap," says Paul Klein, O.D., of Broward Eyecare Associates in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "The population will realize even more that sun protection is an important part of eye health."

Much of this growth in the future will come from younger presbyopic customers, who are already very accepting of sunglass progressives. "Most younger people-the emerging presbyopes today-wear sunglasses," says Klein. "And if they do they will buy a sunglass progressive."

Though many say a more mature customer is buying into sunglass progressives as well, they admit that the senior customer is a more difficult sell. A variety of reasons hinder this consumer from buying a second pair, price concerns and managed care reimbursement issues among them.

That is why dispensers say a new category is growing fast among this group: Sunglass clip-ons. "These days, you have to almost consider clip-ons as a new element for this group," says Klein. "When you talk about lenses that cost $250 for pair, a lot of people will say, 'You know what, I'll just buy one pair and throw a clip on that for sun protection.'"

The Good and the Bad

The good news is that there are some excellent sunglass progressive products on the market today. And many seniors are well aware of the product's benefits, as the public is more educated and many people their age are wearing them.

Many senior customers are also interested in the merits of polarized lenses and want this in a progressive for optimum vision. "The older customer is more apt to take it," says John Cottam, owner of The Spectacle in Salt Lake City, Utah, "especially with a polarized option because fly fishing and outdoor activities are very big things here."

He also points out that seniors tend to have more money to spend on themselves and are more likely to buy a second pair because they want to enhance their lifestyle. But not all seniors are able to spend their money freely, and one of the first concerns these seniors will voice about the prospect of a second pair, dispensers say, is cost.

The issue of cost is one of the reasons for the success of this product in high-end dispensaries in particular.

"They are already looking for something higher priced here because we are a high-end optical shop," says Cottam.

"Any time you talk about seniors, you've got to split up the universe into managed care and non-managed care customers," says Klein. "Once you do that you've got two totally different demographics. And selling up to a senior with managed care is much more difficult because these people have grown up with a flat-top as the standard. The presentation of a progressive requires a whole new education."

The Presentation

If they are a managed care customer, Klein suggests that "the best position to take is to say, 'You have a benefit toward a second pair, so let me show you something that will give you more benefits.' There is a segment that will accept that and others will simply just want what is free."

When it comes to non-managed care patients, many say it is just a matter of presenting the benefits of a sunlens, including the UV factor. "They already know about progressives and many are already wearing them," says Klein.

At eye biz inc., Shaffer focuses more on a lifestyle tactic. "I get to know them and their habits," she says. "If they say, 'I have a pontoon boat and am out on the river all the time,' or, 'I sit on the beach and read a lot,' I know they will love sunglass progressives and explain this to them."

"Most of the time people would rather spend the extra money on the lenses anyway and reduce the price of the frame to $125 from $200," she says.

At Eye Contact West, optician Bill Horowitz says he focuses his progressive sunlens selling tactics first on seniors already wearing progressives. "About 70 percent of the people currently wearing progressives will get progressives as a sunglass, and 30 percent will do it as line bifocal or single vision," he says.

Therefore, his presentation to PAL wearers hones in on the fact that they are already comfortable wearing progressives as regular glasses and they will easily adapt to the same for sunwear.

For those who are truly concerned about price, the direction to head is toward clip-on sunlenses, say many dispensers. And there are still opportunities for increased business.

"We often sell a few different colored sunglass clips for one pair of glasses," says Bruce Heller, an optician at Jazzy Eyes in Davie, Fla. "Amber for driving at night and a different color for the day. This is a big trend and it increases business."

With the slowly growing success of sunglass progressives, and the still-profitable backup option of a clip-on sunlens, this senior market segment is sure to bring more business into the dispensary. And the final caveat is the growth of acceptance of sunglass progressives from a younger marketplace, who will certainly make this area profitable for decades to come.  EB