Peer-to-Peer on Talking Blue Light

2023 • Peer to Peer

It’s easy to get tired of explaining the same thing over and over. That can definitely be the case when it comes to addressing blue light.

In Thornton, CO, Shamir Peer-to-Peer Champion Brian Albert, O.D., FAAO,has compared it to patient reminders in dentistry and dermatology. “It is important to appreciate that while the eyecare community is intimately familiar with eye disease prevention (of course short wavelength light causes oxidation of ocular tissues!), this may not be as obvious to patients.

“Do you think dentists get tired of telling patients to floss? Do you think dermatologists get tired of reminding patients to apply sunscreen? Heck no! It is their job to convey their to better the quality of those patients’ lives. We need to adopt this philosophy to short wavelength light as well.”

Lead By Example

It helps when patients can see that their eyecare professionals share similar needs and challenges. That connection can be easily made when it comes to blue light and computers.

At Dr. Spex Vision Care in Denver, CO, for example, the practice of John Bardash, O.D., and Alfonso Puzzo, O.D., is set up so that each exam room has three monitors. “Patients see that, and we can say, ‘See, I’m on computers all day, too,’” explains Dr. Bardash, also a Shamir Peer-to-Peer Champion.

The Process

Depending on the patient, in addition to their general-use glasses, Dr. Bardash may also discuss an office-specific pair that would be set at 26 inches as the working distance to their monitor.

How does the dispensing staff know to continue the discussion after the exam? The doctors generally come out to the dispensary with the patient and, in front of the patient, mention to the optician that they discussed the filtering because the patient spends a lot of time at a monitor. They also add that, as a result, a lighter, thinner frame like titanium would be a good option for eyewear.

The key is repetition. It’s all about reinforcing the message more than once…something that you can do with any product that is important to you. At Spex Vision Care, they call it “the turn.” Talking about the filtering a second time reiterates what’s been recommended and helps set up the sale.