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Preventing Scratches

Though it’s not always the patient’s fault, it usually is.
Here, some tips for educating patients and reducing redos

Scratches lead the field of reasons why lenses have to be remade under warranty. Remakes can erode patient confidence in the product, a potentially damaging situation. While dispensing lenses with high-quality AR and scratch protection is always ideal, scratching can still occur, especially when lenses are not cared for properly by the patient. Encourage the use of lens cleaning cloths and cleaner; discourage patients from using their shirttails as a cleaning cloth.

We spoke to two lens experts— Jeff Szymanski, vice president of Toledo Optical Laboratory in Toledo, OH, and Mike Sutherlin, vice president of Sutherlin Optical in Kansas City, MO—for advice on reducing remakes as a result of scratches.

Q: HOW DOES MY REDO RATE AFFECT MY BUSINESS?

JEFF SZYMANSKI: Without question, scratches are the number-one reason for remakes in our industry. We truly remain one of the only industries (consider here the clothing industry, appliance industry, auto industry, or any other) that remakes its products, for free, under questionable circumstances. We, and we alone, remain unique in that we will sell a customized and sophisticated product, and too often allow patients to abuse it, while then falling back on scratch warranties as our safety net.

The net result of these remakes is a tremendous loss of revenue for ECPs, a decline in the number of patient visits, and a cheapening perspective of our industry by the very patients we strive so hard to impress.

Q: WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PATIENTS TO EDUCATE THEM ON LENS CARE?

MIKE SUTHERLIN: Patients will not use eyeglass cleaner if it isn’t convenient. A great substitute is a drop of dish washing liquid on each side of the lenses. Liquid dish soap will not harm the AR coating and is very effective at removing oil and fingerprints. The most important thing to mention is never wipe the lenses when dry. All it will do is rub through dirt across the lenses, causing hairline scratches, eventually making them unusable.

SZYMANSKI: The challenge in educating patients on proper care begins with better managing their expectations and providing them with the knowledge of how to best care for their investment. In addition, how an office presents its warranties has a significant impact on the percent of Rx’s that are returned for a scratch remake. By working with its lab, an office can better understand what remakes it typically incurs and devise a plan of action to help limit the unnecessary cost of these remakes and create a more profitable, efficient office.