Hands On - Lens Tips
Home Safe Home
by Karlen Cole McLean, ABOC, NCLE

Eyecare practitioners who are successful in the industrial safety market are, at the very least, mentioning home safety to their patients. There are opportunities for second,- third-, and even fourth-pair sales. Many ECPs present industrial safety first, then an everyday pair, then sunwear, and then a task-specific pair, like computer eyewear or readers, before ever recommending eyewear for home safety.

But these facts might change that approach: The National Safety Council Spring 2004 Family Safety & Health magazine reports that off-the-job injuries cost employers $4.7 billion and "are almost eight times more costly than workplace injuries."

According to the U.S. Eye Injury Registry, a serious eye injury takes place every 27 minutes in the U.S., and more than 1.9 million injuries occur each year in the home. However, 90 percent of all eye injuries could be prevented with protective eyewear.

Safety eyewear looks like dress eyewear, but its construction is far more durable. Shown: Hilco's A-2 style SG-102

ON DISPLAY

This is part of the reason it makes sense to launch home safety in your practice. Start out by taking your safety eyewear out of the box in the backroom and displaying it with effective signage.

"We display safety eyewear in attractive arrangements and carry a stock of safety frames," says Terry V. Hulvey, optician/owner of Colonial Heights Optical in Staunton and Harrisonburg, Va. "We display and sell quality plano safety shields. It's better for us to get the business than a hardware supply store."

At Council Opticians in Niagara Falls, N.Y., around 20 percent of frameboard space is dedicated to safety eyewear, and there is a display of plano safety shields.

"We are in a largely industrial area," says Paula Friona, the practice's safety accounts manager. "We have around 200 industrial safety accounts, and some of those industrial sales translate to home safety sales."

"We have prominent signage that states: 'It's your vision: protect your eyes,' and we discuss both at the job and at home safety concerns with our patients. We provide sport goggles for kids, which leads to discussions with adults about their own eye protection."

Because today's safety frames are far more fashionable than a few years ago, it can be hard to distinguish home safety versus everyday eyewear. At Colonial Heights Optical, they try to permanently attach sideshields to all industrial and home safety eyewear to protect patients from flying debris like dust and metal chips. This helps to distinguish safety eyewear from dress eyewear and adds to the protection factor.

The practice also discusses home safety issues. Hulvey says, "We talk about at-risk situations like mowing, weed whacking, chainsaw use, stained glass and other hobbies. We discuss it with automobile mechanics and anyone who tinkers in a home workshop."

Council Opticians' staff has studied up on the new Z87.1--2003 standards and how to apply those standards when discussing safety frame and lens options with patients and their lab. "We offer both polycarbonate and Trivex, and standard plastic 3mm lenses for those who don't want to upgrade. We point out the enhanced construction of safety frames. In addition, we work with a special lab that's certified for the new safety standards to ensure that the finished product will pass ANSI standards," Friona says.

Both industrial and home safety expertise can also add long-lasting patient loyalty. "This type of business almost guarantees patient loyalty," Hulvey notes. "We hit it hard with word-of-mouth to continue to cultivate that loyalty. Plus, our discount plan ensures that it's economical and convenient for our industrial safety patients to bring in their family members."