The arrival of another online spectacle retailer in the shape of the awkwardly named Sneaking Duck could force practice owners and staff to take a more proactive customer focussed and innovative approach to dispensing.
This cheeky Australian owned start-up says it is providing consumers with a low cost alternative to ‘cool eyewear’ that will enable them to purchase several frames at a lower price. All they need to do is “ask the optometrist that you visited most recently for a copy of your prescription”.
It begs the question – what can independents, the more traditional source of high fashion frames – do to retain their customers and kerb the flood of scripts leaving their practice.
…what can independents, the more traditional source of high fashion frames – do to retain their customers and kerb the flood of scripts leaving their practice
Service, professional expertise, choice are, of course, the answers. But how can you do this operating from the pressure-pot of the city retail environment?
While many city based optoms need to focus on high turnover to cover costs, in regional Australia, that doesn’t need to be the case. While demand for eye care services is high, the costs of running a business are lower and the slower pace of life means optoms get to spend more time providing higher quality services – and making a real difference to the eye health of their patients. In our main story for this issue, Optoms Beyond the Dividing Range; we talk to a handful of eye care professionals who are enjoying the professional and personal advantages of working and living in regional Australia.
Not so long ago, optoms working in regional areas needed to visit metropolitan areas to maintain their professional education. These days, 56 of the 80 CPD points required every two years can now be achieved though mivision’s distance learning program. Launched in July this year, it has attracted over a thousand optoms who have completed more than 450 CPD modules a month.
In this issue, we publish two CPD articles, each worth two CPD points. Professor Nathan Efron, in conjunction with Suzanne Efron and Dr. Philip Morgan, report on the Science of Compliance – the way in which Australian contact lens wearers adhere – or not – to recommendations of their contact lens manufacturers and optometrists. Additionally, Jenny Saunders, optometrist and consultant to the ophthalmic industry, writes about the psychology of presbyopic patients – a disease that affects most people over the age of 45 around the world.
Also in this edition, we head overseas to check out the latest eyewear trends exhibited at Silmo and take a look at the classic Italian brand, Serengeti, much favoured by Pope Benedict XVI.
As 2011 draws to a close and we begin to plan for the New Year, business consultant John Lees provides useful tips on how to measure team performance – then use the results to help your practice achieve success. Along with some of our other contributors, in our feature, ‘So This is Christmas’, John’s suggestion for cutting costs this year is to purchase shattered glass in bulk, put it into gift packs and send them to people he knows… hmmm, hopefully I’m not on that list.
I hope you enjoy this, our last edition of mivision for 2011, that your festive season is joyful and your New Year healthy and prosperous.
Mark Cushway
Editor
Contents:
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mistory: Optoms Beyond the Great Divide:When it comes to delivering eye care services, many optoms in regional Australia are stretched to the limit. Read More |
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mistory: The First Optometrists: How often do you ask yourself ‘what’s it all for?’ or ‘why do we do what we do?’. Read More |
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mistory:Optometry Giving Sight: A Year in Focus: 2011 was a big year for Optometry Giving Sight..Read More |
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mifeature: Saving Sight in Sumba: An Island Lost in Time: With a reputation of being perhaps the most mysterious of Indonesia’s major islands, Sumba is truly “off the beaten track”, and rarely visited by westerners. Read More |
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mifeature: So This is Christmas: Christmas seems to come along faster and faster with each passing year, rushed in by the many retailers that begin their promotions earlier and earlier. Read More |
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mifeature: Behavioural Optometry Holistic Patient Care:The practice of behavioural optometry is expanding, yet some in the eyecare professions doubt the efficacy of this holistic treatment for vision impairment. Read More |
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mioptometry: Optometry Association Report Decemeber 2011- all the latest happenings. Read More |
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miview: All for the Good of Golf: It is possible to do good for others while you’re out doing something for yourself that you love, writes mivision’s roving columnist, social commentator and optometrist, Geoff Lawson. Read More |
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mieyecare: Psychology and the Presbyopic Patient: Could You Be Doing More with Contact Lenses? While most of your patients won’t know what presbyopia is until it is diagnosed, sooner or later it will happen to everyone. READ TO EARN CPD POINTS. |
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mieyecare: The Science Of Compliance: A survey conducted in Australia and the Asian region of the way in which contact lens wearers use and maintain their lenses reveals disturbingly low levels of compliance with recommended practice. READ TO EARN CPD POINTS |
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mifashion: Silmo: Where Trends, Optoms and Suppliers Meet: Silmo is one of the world’s most revered eyewear fairs. For Australian optical retailers, designers and manufacturers. Read More |
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mifashion: Rx-able Sunglasses: Vision Comfort and Styling: Rapid advances in technology and manufacturing capabilities mean your customers can now choose from a vast array of Rx-able sunglasses. Read More |
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mifashion: One for the Road: Serengeti – Serengeti lens technology adapts to the changing conditions of every day in no every day way – even the Pope has a penchant for this stylish Italian brand. Read More |
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mifashionnews: All the latest fashion news from December 2011. Read More |
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miproducts: all the latest productrs from December 2011. Read More |
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mibusiness: Practical Considerations for Practice Finance: Whether you’re considering applying for finance, an overdraft, a mortgage – or establishing a term deposit – there are options to help you maximise your financial position.Read More |
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mibusiness: The True Measure of a Team…If someone in your team is performing at a disappointing, unacceptable level when it comes to service and results, you need to ask, ‘why are they failing. Read More |
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mievent: Mia Bella Launch in True Italian Style: In a typically decadent and glamorous European-styled evening, Prestige Optics has celebrated the highly anticipated arrival of Mia Bella Eyewear to the Australian market. Read More |
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The Last Word: The Last Word: An Afternoon with Socrates: The new iPhone 4S made its global debut in Australia a week after the passing of its creator Steve Jobs with queues snaking past tributes outside Apple stores. Read More. |
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