Managing Contact Lens Growth in Q4—and Beyond

Since 2017, I have been part of Reflect Vision Care—an optometry practice adjacent to LensCrafters with four locations across North Carolina; two in Charlotte and two in Ashville. Our team consists of eight highly trained optometrists, and we see about 24.5K patients annually. Approximately 6,000 of those patients are examined for contact lens fits.

At Reflect Vision Care, we provide professional and affordable eye care services to all patients, from young professionals to more seasoned patients. We offer contact lenses evaluations at our Asheville Mall, Biltmore Park, and Concord Mills locations. Contact lens sales represent a significant part of our practice, with 60% coming from daily disposable lenses. With three contact lens selling locations and no ownership in the optical (since it’s owned by LensCrafters), we’re very focused on fitting, prescribing, and selling contact lenses, which has allowed us to achieve a high volume.

There are numerous ways to prepare for the final quarter to ensure you’re setting your practice up for success in the coming year. One of the most important year-end tasks is evaluating yearly contact lens metrics. However, tracking annual lens metrics is often a moving target; it is challenging to dive into the specific details at times, especially in a practice of our size. In this article, I will discuss why Q4 readiness matters operationally, with a focus on pricing windows, the importance of responding to market trends, and optimizing checkout execution.

Pricing Windows

We offer a tiered pricing model for contact lens evaluations (spherical, toric, multifocal, and monovision contacts) based on the complexity of the fit, chair time, and how often we are seeing patients for follow-ups. Additionally, we have shifted to virtual banks to house our purchasable lenses rather than stocking inventory on site. As I said, tracking these metrics is a moving target; we are continiously evaluating and monitoring how we are pricing our lenses.

Contact lens manufacturers tend to adjust their pricing two to three times per year, during the beginning and middle of the calendar year, so we must follow accordingly. During those times, I check the pricing of contact lenses at various online retailers in addition to those we purchase through our distributor. Based on our cost and how competition is pricing each contact lens, I have established a formula that allows me to competitively set prices for each lens we offer, which also includes our frequent replacement and daily disposable lens options.

Evaluating Annual Lens Metrics

In fall 2024, our practice adopted Arrellio, a third-party, automated contact lens ordering and e-commerce system that integrates directly into our practice’s electronic health records (EHR). We use this platform to track our contact lens inventory, sales, and reimbursements. In less than a year of using this platform, the practice has generated over $130,000 in gross walkout revenue from contact lens exams. The platform has helped us capture these sales because patients use the exam walk-out feature (ie, online check-out system) to purchase their contact lenses without having to do so in person or over the phone.

Using this platform, we track our metrics of daily disposable contact lenses versus 2-week and monthly modalities, plus annual lens supply sales. We celebrate every sale, with team bonuses tied to meeting specified initiatives. For example, I track how many patients we fit in contact lenses daily, with a goal of approximately 33% of comprehensive exam encounters ending in patients fitted for contact lenses. While this goal varies month-to-month, we always strive to grow the number of patients we are getting into contact lenses, whether it’s premium daily disposables, entry-level daily disposables, or frequent-replacement lenses (weekly, biweekly, and monthly lenses).

To track our trial lens inventory via Arrellio, our front desk staff members are trained to routinely scan the boxes when they arrive at the practice. Advancements in software technology continue to make metric tracking more streamlined for practices, and I believe the field is going to see continued evolution over time, which helps us as optometrists to be more efficient and competitive in our tracking efforts.

Responding to Market Trends

Patients are continually looking for the best value proposition, regardless of what type of lens they are being fitted for. Our general marketing approach is quite simple: we promote contact lenses to anyone who is a viable candidate. Our practice offers a wide range of lens options, and we continually assess which lenses would provide the best outcomes for our patients. We need to maintain a balance of how we strategically communicate the value proposition of lenses and our services to our patients, but overall, it’s about supporting each patient where they are on their eye care journey.

As a practice, we must continue to strategically follow shifts in market trends if we want to be successful in selling contact lenses in the clinic. For example, if very few patients are purchasing a prescribed product we sell in our office, it is most likely priced too high. A key advantage we have over online retailers is all the in-person touchpoints we have with our patients to market our contact lenses. At checkout, we have the first value proposition opportunity to sell lenses to our patients.

Critically, manufacturers’ rebate programs allow us to remain price-competitive in an extremely crowded landscape. Updated rebate information is often shared with us through our representatives, as well as communicated at large via email from manufacturers, and it is automatically updated in Arrellio.

Final Takeaways

My perspective is to put yourself in the shoes of the patient. Everyone wants to feel like they’re receiving a fair value for their health and vision care needs. Would you buy contact lenses from your practice based off the patient experience and the value proposition provided? I believe eye care providers should ask themselves this question and take the time to beta test what that experience looks like.

Additionally, it’s important to conduct your own research on what’s a fair retail cost for contact lenses, including the end cost to the patient after rebate. Run those numbers and have your staff or fellow providers walk through that experience in your clinic and make any necessary adjustments. Taking the time to address these touchpoints will ensure your practice comfortably closes out Q4 and begins the new year strong.

The contact lens retail market is becoming increasingly competitive, with no signs of slowing down. While the FDA classifies contact lenses as a class II medical device, many of our patients are starting to view them more as a commodity. As optometrists, we hold the immense responsibility to impact our patients’ vision and purchasing decisions. As a field, I believe we must make the most out of every patient encounter.