Influx of New Contact Lens Patients Calls for Simplified Wear-and-Care Education
Within days of mask guidelines being implemented earlier this year, the reports of fogging started streaming in from glasses and sunglasses wearers. Social feeds were soon packed with photos of the annoying condensation and news reports began offering tips on how to avoid condensation. In 2020, there have been thousands of general media stories in the United States and Canada about fogging and masks.
While some of the more than 150 million North Americans who rely on glasses tinkered with remedies including: custom-fitting face coverings, adhesive nose strips, specialized wipes or home-grown soapy water treatments, others are making another choice—trying contact lenses.
“We have been hearing a number of reports from practices who have been fitting more long-time glasses wearers in contact lenses because of mask-related fogging, especially if the eye care professional is bringing up the subject,” Rick Weisbarth, OD, chairman of the Contact Lens Institute, said in a news release. “This influx of new wearers—whether for occasional or full-time use—provides the perfect chance for practices to adopt The EASY Way approach for wear-and-care education.”
The CLI-supported EASY Way (Eyes, Awareness, Safety and You) program presents wear and care tips through simplified, interesting and memorable tools for ECPs and staff to use in their practices. In addition to a multi-lingual infographic, the program’s dedicated website features a toolkit including a video, patient email templates, social media graphics, a news story to share with local media and a how-to guide to implement these digital resources. All tools are available free of charge from EASYWayProgram.org.
Participation is open to the entire spectrum of the eye care team who interact with contact lens wearers, including optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians, technicians, optical shop representatives and administrators.
“It’s encouraging to see some peer organizations address other aspects of fogging, such as the new #StopTheSteam campaign from the British Contact Lens Association. Collectively, we believe initiatives like that combined with The EASY Way program will not only encourage contact lens trial, but also build longer-term satisfaction to ensure those new to lenses become wearers for life,” said Dr. Weisbarth.
The Contact Lens Institute advances the latest innovations in safe and effective contact lens and lens care products and services that provide unique benefits to patients while satisfying the evolving needs of eye care professionals. CLI undertakes activities that properly assess, enhance, promote and balance contact lens and lens care industry welfare and growth, including the safe use of products in the marketplace. Its members include Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision, and Johnson & Johnson Vision. For more information, visit contactlensinstitute.org.