Some ECPs recommend monovision contact lenses to their patients first, while others go to multifocal CLs almost every time. Both choices make good business sense and increase practice profitability.

The products themselves demand a higher dollar, so initial product purchase and return product purchases raise sales. Additionally, higher fees are collected for monovision and multifocal CL fitting, refits, and maintenance.

In the first part of this two-part series, we focus on the finances of monovision versus multivision contact lenses.

Why Monovision

Monovision CLs are best prescribed when:

1 Patients become emerging presbyopes, since the difference in the near and far Rx is subtle and easier to adjust to.

2 Patients have previously successfully worn monovision.

3 The Rx isn�t a high-powered or complicated one.

4 Patients are correctable to 20/20 in each eye.

5 Astigmatic patients require toric CLs.

6 Patients are willing and able to take several weeks to allow their brains to adapt to using one eye to see distance and the other eye to see at near.

Name Your Price

You�ll try to avoid working with monovision and multifocal CLs if you don�t price them accordingly. Profiting from these CL segments is based on higher-than-normal fees due to additional chair time, staff time, and wholesale product cost.

Lens returns and retrials also need to be factored into the pricing plan, since fitting monovision and multifocal CLs often involves trial and error.

It pays to have a written office policy on CL fitting and to have staff go over pricing and procedures with patients.

�We only get 30 minutes with a contact lens exam, including the exam, medical and CL fit or refit, and additional time that may put the doctor behind schedule,� says Karen Fuchs, OD, of Coral Springs Eye Institute in Coral Springs, Fla. She notes that the staff will discuss fees in a general range allowing for differences in Rx or specific patient needs. �They explain that if a specialty lens is required, the price of the CL evaluation is more. The doctor explains this further during the exam.�

Some practices offer blanket coverage for a period of time, which can be easier for patients to grasp. It lets patients know that their involvement is crucial in properly caring for their eyes in a timely fashion.

At Clayton Eye Center in Morrow, Ga., follow up visits are included in the fitting fee for 90 days. After that, patients are billed as a separate charge. Donald J. Siegel, OD, in Sun City West, Ariz., also advocates the 90-day �global contact lens fee� involving at least three presbyopic CL trial options and several office visits.

Worth Your While

Utilizing staff to streamline chairtime is crucial for monetary success. Techs should screen patients ahead of time, be part of the doctor�s interaction with the patient, and be the core dispensing professionals.

�The technician reviews the demand for extra time and expertise required for those patients,� says Clayton Eye Center�s Kirk Smick, OD. �Patients who are fitted in specialty lenses are charged a higher fitting fee than those in monofocal CLs.�

It also pays to have staff members who wear either monovision or multifocal CLs. Staff members�this includes the doctors�can personally relate their experiences to patients and will serve as a source of education via real life, hands-on information.  EB

Why Multifocals

Multifocal CLs receive better acceptance when:

1 Patients have very little distance Rx.

2 CL pricing is competitive, since price is often a concern with multifocal patients.

3 Brand awareness is a focus, since patients may be educated online and come into the office asking for a particular brand of multifocal CL.

4 Savvy dispensers share the latest CL technology improvements, presenting new generations of lenses that open the door for patient recognition and acceptance of multifocal CLs even wider.