What do women want from contact lenses?

Contact lens manufacturer Bausch & Lomb (B+L) launched an initiative to support independent practices better promote contact lenses and increase retention among female patients at the end of January.

The initiative began with focus group research to explore the relationship that women have with contact lenses, what drives wearers and the reasons for drop out.

Speaking to OT during 100% Optical, professional services manager at B+L, Richard Smith, explained: “We looked at a wide cross section of Generation X, baby boomers and millennials to find out what it is about contact lenses that is so important to them.”

Highlighting the importance of this patient group, Mr Smith added: “What we see with independent practices is that women are the key wearers of contact lenses. 64% of those women will go into practice to purchase contact lenses and certainly for the independent sector, that will be a true area of growth for them to take forward into their business models into 2019 and beyond.”

Following the research, B+L has developed a 10-point plan that it is sharing with independent practices through free workshops. 

Sharing insight into the content of the workshops, professional affairs consultant at B+L, Vinni Virdee, explained that they will look at various points of the patient journey, both during the practice visit and before.

“It’s understanding how to change the behaviours of the practitioner, allowing them to have really good conversations with patients, understanding what it is that causes patients to drop out and understanding why patients want to stay in contact lenses,” Mr Smith added. 

For more information on the initiative, visit the B+L website.