That's the one I wear

Watch Iwan's story, here:

Beth's story

According to research, 78% of patients agree that they can trust their optician to recommend the best contact lens for them.¹ Reflecting on this statistic, Beth Ralph, a contact lens optician from Sheffield, said: “The priority for all my patients when it comes to lenses is comfort first, vision next and price last.”

Beth is a busy working mum, an optician, and a part-business owner of independent practice, Elliott & Heath Optometrists, which she shares with her husband. Like most working mums, life for Beth is busy and her hours are long, so she needed a lens that could compliment her busy lifestyle.

Speaking about her search for the right lens, Beth shared: “The lenses I originally tried were so uncomfortable, and after four hours of wear I had to remove them. It was at this point that my husband brought home DAILIES TOTAL1^® – I have never looked back since.”

“The comfort was a huge improvement as I didn’t feel the lenses in my eye. Now I recommend the same contact lenses for my patients – 16 hours of total comfort.”

Did you know that 38% of eye care professionals who prescribe DAILIES TOTAL1 also wear them themselves?¹

A day in the life 

Beth tells us what it’s like in the eyes of a DAILIES TOTAL1 wearer...

7am: My busy day begins

I put my contact lenses in and spend a manic morning rounding up my children ready to ship them to breakfast club before school. I like to arrive early at work and look through the files of the patients I will see that day to find out what they are currently wearing and what’s new that I can offer them. I understand that it can be a chore for patients to come to their appointments, so I like to give them a reason to come to visit me – I do that by always offering them the best on the market.

9am–11.30am: Consultations and advice

One lady I had recently was going through a divorce and wanted to renew her image. As soon as I removed her glasses and swapped them for lenses her confidence grew dramatically.

In another case, I saw a patient who is a keen sportsman and enjoys tennis. Wearing glasses compromises his peripheral vision and gets in the way. I immediately suggested DAILIES TOTAL1, knowing that these lenses will provide him with excellent vision and long wear. I truly believe anyone that wears glasses should have the option to use contact lenses.

11.30am–2pm: Fitting with confidence

When I fit DAILIES TOTAL1, I no longer ask my patients ‘are your lenses comfortable?,’ I now say, ‘can you feel your lenses?’ because I am confident in the knowledge that they feel like nothing. Other times, I’ll put a high quality lens, such as DAILIES TOTAL1, in one eye and an alternative lens in the other and ask which they prefer. Almost every time, they will choose DAILIES TOTAL1.

When I fit an existing contact lens wearer with DAILIES TOTAL1, the response I get is ‘why haven’t I been given these before?’ In the past, they have typically been used as a second option or ‘the problem solver’ if they don’t get on with their current lenses. This shouldn’t be happening as it’s our duty as eye care professionals to recommend the best product for our patients.

2pm–5pm: A range of patients

Yesterday a six-year-old and her mother came to me for advice on contact lenses for wear after school. Many parents are unaware that contact lenses are an option for their children. My only criteria for offering contact lenses to children is that they can fit them and remove them themselves. My eight-year-old daughter is extremely active, she takes part in lots of activities after school, some of which she might have missed out on if I have kept her wearing glasses. She now wears DAILIES TOTAL1 and absolutely loves them.

6pm: Reflection

After a busy day tending to between 12 and 14 patients, my drive home is spent reflecting on the patients I’ve seen and feeling extremely fortunate to have the job I have. My ultimate priority at the start of every working day is to improve the eye sight of each of my patients, and in turn, enhance their lives. I sometimes see a child wearing glasses with no confidence, looking at the floor, the second those lenses are in, they are a different person.

11pm: 16 hours of amazing

By the time I am preparing to go to bed, I realise I have lasted a full 16 hours without even thinking about my lenses or noticing them there. There is also no need for solutions before bed as my lenses get binned and I use a new pair for the next day.

References

1. Independent 3^rd Party U&A study conducted on 1083 lens wearers, Alcon data on file, 2016.

All views, comments and opinions expressed in this advertorial belong to those making them, and are not scripted. Beth Ralph received no financial or other payment for her participation in this advertorial, but has been paid as a consultant to Alcon.

^© 2017 Novartis AG. DAILIES TOTAL1, DAILIES TOTAL1 logo and Alcon logo are trademarks of Novartis AG. GB/VC/DAI/08/17/0115.