As ECPs, it’s easy to lose track of how much the average person knows — or doesn’t know — about eye health and eye care. You have such a wealth of experience, so what seems like a no-brainer to you may still be a blind spot to the layperson.
Knowing what patients (and prospective patients) are worried about can only help you improve quality of care, guide marketing strategy, and inform your CE decisions, allowing you to shore up your knowledge base in relevant areas.
Though patients may not know to call it “digital eye strain,” screen time concerns continue to dominate. And people are worried both for themselves and for their children. The 20-20-20 rule is not yet ingrained in public consciousness, so informing patients about the rule and including tips for how to actually implement it, especially at work, will be beneficial.
And the lifestyle recommendations you provide can also aid in myopia control, particularly for developing children.
Recommended resources:
Zeiss Study Finds That Parents Are Concerned Regarding Screen Time’s Impact on Children’s Eye Health
AOA Report Exposes Nationwide Consequences of Unmanaged Screen Time
2. Dry Eyes
Whether from environmental factors, serious underlying conditions, or age … dry eyes are causing trouble for patients these days. Studies have reported varying prevalence rates, ranging from 5% to 15% among U.S. adults (source).
“Dry eye is one of the most common reasons patients visit eye care professionals, and yet, unfortunately, it is under-diagnosed and untreated. Many patients are suffering from it overtly or in silence. Like other ocular conditions, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, I believe at least basic competency in this area is our duty and well worth the investment.” (Source: Dry Eye in Optometry)
Recommended resources:
An Action Plan for Managing Dry Eye Disease in Your Practice
A Beginner’s Guide to Dry Eye Treatment Integration
Increasing Incidence of DED Presents Opportunity for ODs
3. Age-Related Vision Changes
Currently, about 56 million people, or roughly 17% of the population, are aged 65 and older, and this group is expected to reach around 74 million by 2030 (source). Problems like presbyopia, cataracts, and macular degeneration will only become more of a concern, and the need for care will be significant.
Recommended resource:
Eye Conditions and Diseases: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, National Eye Institute
Adult Vision: 41 to 60 Years of Age
21 Ways Aging Changes Your Eyes
4. Nutrition Optimization
As you’ve likely noticed, people are more interested than ever in the power of diet and supplements to prevent or address health issues, and that includes problems related to the eye. Broadly, carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin and antioxidant-rich foods can help reduce the risk of AMD. Foods high in omega-3s, vitamin A, and zinc support eye health, too. Side note: It can also be useful to educate patients on what diet changes can’t help with, e.g., nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
Recommended resources:
Increasing Compliance to Ocular Nutritional Supplementation
5. Contact Lenses
This is both an interest and an area of concern. People are curious about the modern contact lens landscape and what’s available. Some folks have a desire to experiment with decorative lenses to achieve a certain look (like Halloween contacts) but lack awareness of the risks. When it comes to prescription contacts, patients are concerned about:
- Hygiene, infection, and safety
- Adjusting to contact lens care and new routines
- Eye health over time — especially what will happen if they aren’t diligent
- Cost, of course
Recommended resources:
Multifocals for All Ages
Contact Lens Complications: Recognition, Prevention and Management
Vision Expo East 2024: Shedding Light on Orthokeratology
6. Eye Pain and Discomfort
Eye pain is a perpetual area of concern for patients because pain, redness, and vision changes can come from any number of underlying issues. Thorough exams remain essential to establishing the true root cause and treating appropriately.
This type of patient concern sometimes necessitates an “emergency” eye appointment, and ODs are finding success with telehealth for such consults, to quickly determine how urgent the situation is and what the immediate next steps should be. Telehealth is also becoming a popular option for continuity of care when it comes to discomfort from allergies, mild inflammation or conjunctivitis, styes, etc.
Recommended resource:
Beyond Devices: Vision Discomfort May Stem From Lifestyle Factors
Emergency Eye Appointments: A New System
7. Protective Eyewear
There’s growing awareness among patients regarding protective eyewear for higher-risk activities like sports and certain occupational tasks. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that approximately 2,000 U.S. workers sustain job-related eye injuries requiring medical treatment daily (source).
Tech advances allow for more comfortable, durable, even cooler-looking safety eyewear, which helps with compliance. Don’t forget to recommend that all households have a pair of protective eyewear on hand to help prevent the 50% of all eye injuries that occur at home!
Sunglasses fall under this category, too. Sports sunglasses are increasing in popularity. Sunglasses for children, too. Aside from the eye itself, the skin surrounding the eyes is particularly susceptible to UV damage and cancer risk, and sunglasses provide a needed protective barrier.
Recommended resources:
UV Protection for the Eyes: Tips for Talking to Patients About Sun Protection
Eye Protection at Home (tips for patient education)
As you tweak and tailor your practice and patient recommendations going forward, it’s also useful to think about you answers to specific eye care questions people have — we mean patients and people who’ve never set foot in an optometrist’s office.
- Can my vision be improved naturally without surgery?
- What are current options for vision correction surgery?
- What should I know about eye health supplements?
- How often should I get an eye exam?
- What are the latest options for contact lenses?
- Are there new treatment options for dry eyes?
- How can I protect my eyes from increased screen time?
Consider these types of questions (and more) when thinking about how to market your practice, stay abreast of changes in the field, and keep your patients properly informed.
