Alcon Collaborates with Eye Care Professionals to Identify and Address Unmet Needs in the Contact Lens Industry

A new Alcon program aims to identify and address current gaps in contact lens offerings by partnering with eye care professionals. With the new Alcon Innovator Program, 20 ‘innovators’ were selected to receive and offer their patients exclusive access to Alcon’s upcoming product launches. Through this partnership, Alcon said it aims to gain insights from professionals in practice and patients regarding their new contact lenses, as well as develop social and editorial content.

“Alcon is dedicated to boldly innovating for today’s patient, and therefore, it is essential that we partner with practicing eye care professionals to ensure our product offerings meet the needs of their patients and their practices,” Kristen Brotherson, US Vision Care General Manager, said in a company news release. “Together, with the Alcon Innovator Program, we will provide the latest technology and high-quality offerings that continue to make Alcon a leader in eye care, helping patients see brilliantly.”

Earlier this year, Alcon’s innovators received early access to their new contact lens offerings before they hit the market. These eye care professionals offered these products to their patients and then shared real-time feedback to inform the company’s market entry plan. Specifically, the ECPs aimed to understand the most common areas of dissatisfaction for contact lens wearers across the country.

Through this collaboration, Alcon said it uncovered three key barriers that directly impact a patient's desired outcome when wearing contact lenses. 

• Compliance: Studies show that 66% of 2-week wearers are non-compliant with their replacement schedule. Not only does this impact their overall eye health, but when a patient does not follow the proper replacement schedule, the lens functionality decreases as well. For this reason, it is essential for eye care providers to consider their patients’ behaviors when recommending a contact lens to ensure that the lens replacement schedule fits seamlessly into their existing routines. 
• Comfort: Patients who are non-compliant with their contact lens replacement schedules are more susceptible to adverse events including contact lens discomfort and infections. However, according to Alcon’s research, nearly 57% of patients report that they do not feel confident discussing comfort issues with their eye care providers. This suggests eye care providers should lead these discussions to better evaluate alternative contact lens options for their patients.
• Cost: Nearly 9/10 eye care providers believe daily disposable SiHy lenses are better overall for their patients; however, cost is a significant barrier, and more than 1/2 of new patients are still being fit in reusable lenses.

“As we look to the future of the eye care industry, patients are expecting the consumerization of eye care the way they’ve seen in other aspects of their healthcare,” Maria Sampalis, OD, an inaugural innovator, said in a company press release. “To meet this demand, it is essential for industry leaders and optometrists to collaborate to provide patients with the latest advancements in contact lenses and focus on solving their unmet needs.”