Paying attention to retention: the importance of effective communication 

Scenario

“I work as a practice manager in a single independent setting. While we have a structured on-boarding communication programme for new contact lens patients, we have a relatively high dropout rate after conversion. I am looking for ways to highlight, encourage and improve our communications across the whole practice team to current contact lens wearers to ensure we are able to retain them and keep them happy with their lenses. Do you have any advice?”  

Advice

Faye McDearmid, optometrist, practice owner, and Johnson & Johnson professional affairs consultant

Modern contact lens materials, designs, modality choice and prescription availability mean that many reasons for contact lens drop out can be addressed, provided we know about it.

As with any newly learnt skills, new contact lens wearers may encounter minor issues in their first few weeks of wear. Experience has taught me that some can be unwilling to report these to their eye care practitioner as they feel like the issues are too trivial to bother them, or they may be embarrassed if they’re struggling with handling. This means we may never know about small, potentially solvable issues, that might stop them from wearing their new lenses and dropping out instead. It also makes it even more important that your front of house team establish themselves as the patient’s point of contact and reinforce that no issue is too small.

With the right training, the whole practice team are able to talk new contact lens patients through these minor issues with patience and empathy, and will be able to identify when the issues are more serious and require the advice of the optometrist or contact lens optician.

Loss of confidence remains an ongoing barrier amongst new wearers. So how can the whole practice team build confidence, tailor support and communicate at crucial points during the critical first two months of wear?

Reassurance and support

When communicating with your new contact lens wearers, look out for early signs of issues that can lead to drop out if not addressed:

• Vision issues – poor distance/near or fluctuating vision for astigmatic patients
• Discomfort/dryness issues – on application, during wear, in different environments
• Handling issues – not wearing as often as initially thought due to the time taken to apply
• Inconvenience of lens care procedure.

Most practices put a lot of thought into their contact lens teach process, often allocating each new wearer with a dedicated team member to act as their mentor; encouraging and supporting them through the skill of learning to apply, remove and handle contact lenses. But, what happens after your patient leaves?

Loss of confidence remains an ongoing barrier amongst new wearers. So how can the whole practice team build confidence, tailor support and communicate at crucial points during the critical first two months of wear?

To really understand what a patient could be experiencing as they start their contact lens journey, we must put ourselves in their shoes. Ask yourself: How do you feel when you start something new? Are you excited and motivated, or perhaps a little anxious and fearful?

What can drive patients to succeed is knowing the benefit and feeling they will get when they are successful. To allow you to encourage your new wearer on a personal level you need to know what matters to the individual. This will vary from one patient to the next, so to share my own reasons for wearing contact lenses:

• Clear, better vision without the worry of glasses getting in the way
• Feeling more confident in everyday life and on special occasions
• Active lifestyle and passion for sport, particularly horse riding.

Reflecting on achieving those goals encouraged me to persevere in learning – knowing your patient’s motivation will allow you to empathise, support, encourage and check-in with them to see how that first experience went outside the practice.

Further check-ins during the trial and first few months, which is a critical time from a drop out perspective, can help ensure they feel encouraged, excited to share their success with you, and know they can come to you with what’s on their mind to explore alternative options if needed

Your practice should have a dedicated area set-up for contact lens teaches. This space should ideally be well lit, private, with a magnifying mirror, and an experienced mentor cheering them on.

When at home, when patients are trying to put their lenses in for the first time in a dimly lit bathroom with a regular mirror and three other impatient family members trying to get in to use the bathroom, it isn’t hard to imagine this experience is unlikely to be as successful. Therefore, give patients advice on set-up, and perhaps share with them an information leaflet, and try a personalised video that can be sent across with tailored advice.

Furthermore, when supporting a patient through the contact lens teach, further check-ins during the trial and first few months, which is a critical time from a drop out perspective, can help ensure they feel encouraged, excited to share their success with you, and know they can come to you with what’s on their mind to explore alternative options if needed. This helps keep your patients and your practice happy.