How El Niño can grow business by giving you more reasons to promote AR

2016 • Staff Education

El Niño is expected to deliver the strongest weather pattern changes in 18 years. In most parts of the country, that means a wetter-than-usual winter.

One result of increased snow and rain on the roads is increased reflections. That represents one more reason you should urge patients to include AR with their new lenses.

Tip: “Don’t refer to it as an add-on. Instead, position AR as what it should be—an integral part of the lens.”

Two benefits of AR lenses that consumers have a particularly tough time understanding, unless you take the time to explain it, is that AR:

…minimizes distracting glare (imperative with this winter’s wet roads), which is why AR should be applied to both the back and front of lenses.

…enhances visual acuity by allowing more light to enter the eye…a concept that is counter-intuitive to most consumers who don’t understand optics.

INCREASING PENETRATION

Though it’s growing faster than any other segment of the Rx market, AR penetration remains at around 30% in the U.S., according to The Vision Council. That’s in stark contrast to Japan, for example, where nearly 100% of lenses include AR.

To help grow your numbers, here are 4 points that go beyond the basics often addressed in conversations about AR. We suggest you to share these with staff and, where appropriate, patients as well.

1. SAY WHAT? Consumers get confused. They think AR would decrease light. In fact, it works because eliminating reflections on the lens surface increases the amount of light entering the eye by about 8% and that improves visual acuity. Some studies say AR on lenses in wet driving conditions can actually increase a driver’s response time by 5 seconds.
2. HIGHER/BRIGHTER LIGHTS. Anti-reflective lenses reduce ghost images and halos around lights that cause driving difficulties at night. Whether roads are wet or dry, this is more important than ever because reflections have been multiplied several fold by HID (High-Intensity Discharge) and fog headlights on newer vehicles. Plus, many large-tired SUVs and trucks have their lights set above the 54” height recommended by the Department of Transportation.
3. AGE ADJUSTMENTS. The older we get, the longer it takes for the eyes to adjust to changing light. According to the Automobile Association of America, a-55-year-old takes eight times longer to recover from glare than a 16-year-old.
4. EYE COLOR. Have you noticed patients with light colored eyes complaining about glare? They should be because the lighter the eyes, the more sensitive they are to glare.

So, how do you discuss the importance of AR in conversations with patients? For starters, be sure you don’t refer to it as an add-on. Instead, position AR as what it should be—an integral part of the lens.

What have you found most beneficial in building your AR business? Positioning it as part of the lens? Wearing the lenses yourself? Let us know and join the conversation on our Facebook page here.

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