Lifestyle lessons

However, those moments – of unguarded smiles and patients walking taller out the door – only occur when practice team members pay careful attention to the unique needs of the patient before them.

Eyewear is not one-size-fits-all. Lenses that are perfect for someone who spends their day in front of a computer may not be the right choice for a lorry driver who spends a large portion of the day behind the wheel.

It is important to explore an individual’s visual demands in their occupation and hobbies in order to select the spectacles or contact lenses that will best complement their lifestyle.

OT spoke with optical professionals about the considerations that they take into account in the search for the perfect pair of spectacles – or contact lenses – that will fit seamlessly into a patient’s daily life.

Dispensing optician and Bradford College lecturer, Maryna Hura, shared that a “funnel” questioning approach can be useful when exploring a patient’s lifestyle requirements.

This involves beginning with a broad question – such as, ‘How do you use your glasses throughout the day?’ – followed by a series of specific follow up questions that explore that patient’s answer.

“This can prompt the patient to tell us about their work or home environment, their use of electronic devices and the amount of time they spend driving,” she said.

“Encouraging the patient to talk about their hobbies and activities can provide further insight into their specific visual needs,” Hura highlighted.

Further questions can centre around finding out about any visual challenges patients may experience in going about their day-to-day activities – such as driving, reading or watching television.

She added that it can also be useful to ask patients what they like and dislike about their current pair of spectacles.

Dispensing optician, Jill Thorp, of Airedale Opticians also highlighted the importance of considering a broad range of factors when selecting which frames and lenses will be suitable for a patient.

“Lifestyle is a crucial part of dispensing, whether a patient spends all their time in front of a screen or is a cross-country runner – their eyewear needs to work for them and fit into their life. They shouldn't have to fit their life around their specs,” she emphasised.

Dispensing optician, James Dawson, will ask patients a range of questions about work and hobbies – including details that a patient may not necessarily register as important, such as how they access their emails and social media.

For Dawson, the most important question to ask is what a patient would like to achieve from their visit.

“This can be very open and will allow the initial reason they came in to be the first focus. From there it allows further investigation and to delve deeper into their lifestyle,” he said.

Dawson believes that without considering lifestyle, a dispensing optician has not done their job correctly.

“If you are only offering one solution, then you will not have listened to and understood your patient. Our role is to allow the patient to consider in more depth what the pros and cons are of different solutions,” he observed.

Considering contact lenses

Optometrist, Bhavin Shah, of Central Vision Opticians, shared that he asks most patients who wear glasses for distance vision if they have considered contact lenses.

In terms of offering contact lenses as an option, Shah finds it helpful to ask questions about whether a patient takes part in sports or if there are any social occasions that they may prefer to attend without spectacles.

Reflecting on lifestyle considerations, Shah emphasised that for both spectacles and contact lenses it is essential to understand the individual needs of a patient so that they can achieve their visual potential.

“In the words of Anais Nin, ‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.’ We have to discover how our patients see the world,” Shah shared.