Contact Lens Spectrum
Issue link: https://clssupplements.epubxp.com/i/740958
C O N T A C T L E N S S P E C T R U M S P E C I A L E D I T I O N 2 0 1 6 c l s p e c t r u m . c o m 14 UNT APPED OPPOR TUNITIES W hat does your contact lens practice have in common with a giant online retailer? Even though your business models may differ sub- stantially, Amazon. com, just like you, is focused on delivering a positive customer experience, which is a proven business-build- er. From the quality of the goods it sells to efficiencies related to packaging and delivery, Amazon.com uses all of its formidable resources to find out what customers want. In fact, during management meetings, CEO Jeff Bezos often leaves an empty chair at the conference table for "the most important person in the room," the customer (Anders, 2012). This relentless pursuit of cus- tomer satisfaction has paid off. The company once again led the online retail category — and consistently places in the top 10 overall — in the University of Michigan's 2015 American Customer Satisfaction Index. Contact lens practitioners may not have the means to conduct research on the scale of an Amazon.com, but you can supplement your own efforts to make mean- ingful connections with patients between visits — via Facebook, Twitter, and the like — by evaluating market research data that helps to define the patient opportuni- ties that exist in your contact lens practice. VISION CORRECTION IN THE UNITED STATES An estimated 174 million U.S. teens and adults cur- rently wear vision correction, and that number is expect- ed to increase to 192 million by 2025. Of particular note is the presbyopic opportunity that exists as the 65+ age group is expected to increase significantly during that time (Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015a). More than 47 million teens and adults who need vi- sion correction wear contact lenses, and, based on pop- ulation projections, that number is expected to increase to 50.3 million throughout the next 10 years (Multi- sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015a). This predicted increase in contact lens wearers is good news for practitioners, and even better news is that advances in contact lens technology are keeping pace with this practice growth opportunity, particularly in the multifocal category. Of interest is data showing that the type of vision cor- rection a person uses directly correlates with his or her age. Currently, 77% of contact lens wearers are 13 to 44 years old; however, after age 45 eyeglasses dominate the market (Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015a). Remarkably, only 9% of adults age 45 and older wear contact lenses despite the level of interest in contact lenses reported by this presbyopic age group (Figure 1) (Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015b). Interest in contact lenses among people who are wearing eyeglasses is strongest among those with presbyopia and this interest is primarily motivated by convenience and eye health. Today's innovations in contact lenses offer a great opportunity to capitalize on this strong interest. M a r k e t r e s e a r c h s h o w s u n t a p p e d g r o w t h o p po r t u n i t i e s HOW TO BUILD A PATIENT-CENTRIC PRACTICE: A LESSON FROM AMAZON.COM G I N A W ES L E Y, O D, M S, B E T H W I L S O N, A N D J I L L S A XO N, O D Figure 1. Among adults ages 45+ requiring multifocal vision correction, interest in contact lenses is high. Even among those ages 65+, there is some interest in contact lenses (Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015b).