Toric and Multifocal Lenses

Dr. Glover
As optometrists, our goal is to help patients to be able to see. Of course they have to have healthy eyes, but we all know when a patient walks into your practice, if you don't get that prescription right, that refraction right, or give them the right solution to see well, they're never going to come back. We are now in a time where technologies at our fingertips where we can change that experience. And I think one of the secret sauces or a superpower is being able to leverage toric lenses and multifocal lenses. In my practice, I leverage that to the maximum capability and it's helped to elevate my practice. I'm curious to know in your practice, how are you leveraging these two pieces of technology?

Dr. Gustafson
I think you said that so well, Darryl. We really have kind of one at bat with patients, right?

And for about 75% of my patients, that means a single-use lens. But there's still 25% of my practice that are patients using reusable lenses, and now I'm excited to offer them the technology that Alcon's offering in the WaterInnovations portfolio. I can give them a water surface lens.  I always think of contact lenses as my calling card. I know that's going to reflect upon me in how my patients see me and perceive my office. And knowing I have different options within the Alcon portfolio gives me that leeway to be confident in making that recommendation to patients.

Dr. Glover
Yeah.

Dr. Gustafson
Patients are busy. Patients like to come into our offices, hopefully. They enjoy their time there, but they have other things to do.

Dr. Glover 
Absolutely.

Dr. McGee
So we need to be precise and mindful of their time. So when I am choosing a lens for a patient, I want them to have the experience right out of the gate and that's where I implement the WaterInnovations portfolio from Alcon. Particularly for my patients who have a stigmatism or need a multifocal lens, those are patients that may not have had those technologies before and that's such a great opportunity to foster trust in that patient relationship and introduce them to something new that can potentially impact their daily life in a positive way. So bringing that technology up to patients, letting them know I wear the multifocal lens myself, that helps impart confidence and trust, then I can make that strong recommendation. And I'm confident that I'm going to bat 1000 when I recommend a WaterInnovation lens, and that patient will have excellent vision and excellent comfort.

Dr. Glover 
I love that. I mean, what I hear is just pure confidence. You know have the right solutions at your fingertips to accommodate that patient that's in front of you. Now, Selena, we all know chair time, costs, comfort can be a hurdle when it comes to prescribe any solutions from some of our colleagues, right? We've heard that. How are you having this conversation in your practice and how are you navigating these obstacles and hurdles in front of you that may relate to that?

Dr. McGee 
I would add a fourth C to that, those three that you just mentioned and my fourth C would be compromise. And I mean that from the perspective that I don't want to compromise my patient's vision because I'm worried about cost, comfort, and chair time. Because the reality is when we look at the WaterInnovations portfolio, it doesn't take more chair time. They probably spent cost-wise, the same amount that they're going to spend on their Starbucks as they came into the office. And then comfort, certainly we know with the WaterInnovation technology and I fit a lot of DAILIES Total1, that lens is highly comfortable. And I would be curious, how many of us, when was the last time that you wrote a spherical equivalent in a spectacle pair of glasses for a minus 75 astigmat? When was the last time that you wrote a pair of spectacles, the patient needed a 1.25 add power and you just left it out? We don't do that. Why would we compromise our patient's vision when we have this kind of technology available?

Dr. Glover 
Yeah. I mean, to build trust, you have to leverage your technology at your fingertips. This WaterInnovations portfolio has changed the game, and I encourage all my colleagues out there to step your game up, give that patient what they need, build that trust And with this technology, we can make that happen.