Contact Lens Spectrum
Issue link: https://clssupplements.epubxp.com/i/740958
c l s p e c t r u m . c o m 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 15 In other words, even though the highest projected increase in the general population needing vision cor- rection occurs in the presbyopic age group, and despite rising interest in multifocal contact lenses, contact lens utilization drops significantly after age 44. This is where opportunity intersects with innovation (Figure 2), as today's advanced multifocal contact lenses represent significant potential for maximizing practice growth in the next decade. In contrast, eye care practitioners (ECPs) seem to be selective in recommending soft multifocal contact lenses to their patients (Figure 3). Only 15% of ECPs report that they present multifocal contact lenses en- thusiastically to their patients, whereas 48% of ECPS present the lenses with warnings about their downsides before patients have even tried them (Jobson Optical Research, 2015). WHY PATIENTS SELECT A PARTICULAR LENS BRAND Comfort, vision quality, eye health, and an eyecare professional's recommendation are the most important considerations for more than 7 in 10 patients when selecting a contact lens brand (Figure 4) (Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015a). People with astigmatism or presbyopia tend to rate quality of vision most important, while most new contact lens wearers (those wearing lenses for less than a year) are likely to choose a lens based on their doctor's recom- mendation or their familiarity with a brand (Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015a). Also important to new wearers is a lens that is recommended as "good for new patients" and described as "the newest technology." Patients look to their eyecare professionals to help them maintain their ocular health and to guide them toward the appropriate vision correction. These statis- tics underscore the key information that practitioners and the office team should communicate about the attributes of the contact lenses they recommend, and that they should continue to discuss specific attributes to ensure continued contact lens success. Whether patients are experienced or new contact lens wearers, they trust their eyecare professionals to educate them about their options so they can confidently choose the lenses that will deliver vision quality. UNT APPED OPPOR TUNITIES Figure 2. Current Type of Primary Vision Correction by Age: This graphic shows the spike in the percentage of vision- corrected adults age 45+ wearing eyeglasses only and the corresponding drop in the percentage of contact lens wearers in the same age group (Multi-sponsor Surveys, Inc., 2015a). Figure 3. ECP approach to soft multifocal candidate selection (Jobson Optical Research, 2015).