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Bausch & Lomb
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DRIVING CONTACT LENS CARE COMPLIANCE
CAN DRIVE IN-STORE SALES
By Michael Pier, OD, – Director of Professional Relations, Bausch & Lomb
Every day contact lens and lens care solution manufacturers strive to make products that are safer and easier for patients to use. As an optometrist, I know that eye care practitioners like me are primarily interested in safety and efficacy; however, we recognize that patients are more likely to comply with convenient and easy-to-use systems of contact lens wear and care. It’s common to see safety and compliance messaging regarding contact lenses in an eye care practitioner’s office and on the lens solution’s packaging. However, a critical intersection where that compliance message could and should be reinforced is at the retail shelf – and here’s why.
While the overall contact lens market shows an increasing trend in the number of contact lens wearers, there is also a significant number of patients who drop out of lens wear each year. It’s important to note that a good percentage of these “drop outs” may discontinue wearing contact lenses because of noncompliance issues. Retailers and pharmacists should be concerned about this trend because fewer contact lens wearers, using less lens care solutions, ultimately means fewer sales of these lens care products at the shelf.
Proper contact lens care and regular return visits to their eye care practitioner are essential for a patient’s safety and wearing success. The reality is that greater compliance has a direct causal relationship on patients’ contact lens comfort and health, and that is why Bausch & Lomb takes contact lens compliance very seriously.
Why should you care?
The issue of non-compliance in contact lens wear is real. There have been numerous studies in recent years that have looked at wear and care compliance among contact lens patients. The following are just a few examples of more than abundant statistics that have been published regarding compliance:
- Most healthcare providers say that only about one-third of patients will follow instructions exactly, one-third will follow some instructions and one-third will not follow instructions at all;
- 40 to 91 percent of contact lens patients are noncompliant in their recommended care and maintenance regimen;
- 25 to 50 percent of patients are noncompliant in some aspect of hygiene. One-fourth of patients don`t always wash their hands prior to handling contact lenses and 12 percent never do;
- Up to 80 percent of contact lens complications trace back to poor patient compliance with recommended lens wear and care guidelines.1
As the numbers show, practitioners and manufacturers continue to try, but their efforts still need reinforcement. -. Perhaps patients don`t understand the message, don`t grasp the potential consequences of noncompliance or, even more unfortunate, don`t truly believe problems can happen to them.
Whatever the reason for non-compliance, it`s obvious that to ensure patient safety, contact lens wearing comfort and minimize contact lens dropout, practitioners, manufacturers ,retailers and pharmacists can all play an important role in diligently promoting contact lens wear and care compliance with patients.
Bausch & Lomb ReNu Healthy Compliance Pack
It’s widely recognized that the average consumer and eye care patient alike are usually willing to pay more if they perceive an enhanced value for their dollar. That’s where the Bausch & Lomb Healthy Compliance Pack comes in. At a suggested retail price of $11.99 per unit, this kit provides a tremendous value (separately, the individual items may retail between $16.00-$20.00) for consumers who are looking to make a healthy purchasing decision at the point of sale. The Healthy Compliance Pack contains the following components:
1 ReNu MultiPlus® Multi-Purpose Solution – 12-oz. bottle
- Cleans, rinses, provides excellent disinfection, protein removal and storage for soft contact lenses in the consumer home.
1 ReNu MultiPlus Multi-Purpose Solution – 2-oz. bottle
- A travel version helps the user maintain a healthy lens care routine when they’re on the road.
1 Bausch & Lomb ReNu MultiPlus® Lubricating and Rewetting Drops – 3 ml bottle
- This product soothes eyes and moisturizes soft contact lenses to minimize dryness during wear.
2 Bausch & Lomb contact lens cases
- Encourage the consumer to begin the healthy habit of replacing their contact lens case regularly.
The kit also includes a convenient travel pouch to hold:
- 2-oz. bottle of ReNu MultiPlus Multi-Purpose Solution
- 1 contact lens case
- ReNu MultiPlus Lubricating and Rewetting Drops
In addition, the kit also includes valuable lens care information and even more potential savings
- Trial certificate for Bausch & Lomb PureVision® contact lenses – made from a high oxygen permeable lens materials, which helps the eye be comfortable and healthy.
At the heart of the Bausch & Lomb Healthy Compliance Pack is ReNu MultiPlus Multi-Purpose Solution. In the patient’s compliance regimen, MultiPlus plays a critical role in effective contact lens cleaning, protein removal and disinfection.
Conclusion
One of the reasons for contact lens dropouts increase is because of the wide discrepancy between what patients should do (in complying with healthy wear and care) and what they actually do. It stands to reason that promoting the compliance message in the eye care professionals office; on the manufacturers’ package and at retail will not only help increase lens care product sales to a level that’s closer to the recommended usage for healthy outcomes for the user but also keep patients in the contact lens franchise and create even healthier bottom lines for retailers who carry the ReNu MultiPlus product.
In the case of healthy patient use of ReNu MultiPlus, retailers should obviously see the potential role a strong compliance message at the point of sale can play to significantly increase solution sales incrementally by two or threefold. Retailers who align themselves with a proactive compliance message in support of consumers’ healthy contact lens care habits will ultimately benefit from a healthier bottom line.
1. Contact Lens Spectrum. Carmen F. Castellano, OD, FAAO. “10 Steps to Improving Contact Lens Compliance.” March 2004.
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Your customers depend on you.
You can depend on ReNu MultiPlus® solution.
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(old package)
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(new package)
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- Proven to deliver excellent disinfection and effective cleaning.
- Relied on by eye care professionals worldwide.
- Established compatibility with soft contact lenses – including silicone hydrogel lenses.2
Recommend ReNu MultiPlus with Confidence - the ##1 selling multi-purpose formula in the U.S.1
1 52 weeks through 4/1/06 all outlets.
2 Bausch & Lomb Laboratory Report (data on file Bausch & Lomb Incorporated).
© 2006 Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. ®/™ denote trademarks of Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. 530-1695
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