Are multifocal soft contact lenses (MFSCLs) too expensive for patients? And is retention a risk for the practice? Episode six of this 10-part video series from Johnson & Johnson, addressing common beliefs and misconceptions about fitting multifocal soft contact lenses (MFSCLs), seeks to answer those questions.
With a light-hearted yet insightful approach, in ‘Word from the Street: Multifocal Myths Explored’ Adam Samuels and Kerry Ho – optometrists and professional education consultants at Johnson & Johnson – challenge thinking around MFSCL fitting and long-term patient care.
Affordability and Retention
Episode six – Patients have affordability concerns, and acceptance and ongoing retention is a risk for me and my practice – considers the affordability concerns of patients around MFSCLS, and whether and acceptance and ongoing retention is a risk for clinicians and their practices.
Some practitioners skip offering multifocal contact lenses because they assume patients can’t afford them. Mr Samuels and Mr Ho urge optometrists to reconsider their assumptions and present options.
Mr Samuels urged clinicians not to assume patient intentions: “Trial fits and simple cost framing often turn hesitation into purchases.”
Key Takeaways
- Trial fits commonly convert hesitant patients once they experience the benefits.1,2
- Patients often accept small recurring costs more readily when framed as a daily or weekly expense (for example, comparing lens cost to a takeaway coffee).3
Practical Tips for Practice:
- Offer a trial: letting patients wear lenses at home helps them evaluate value versus cost.
- Frame cost as a daily or weekly recurring expense rather than a single sticker price.
- Present all options objectively, spectacles, lenses, and treatments, and let the patient choose.
- Avoid judging wallets; our role is to inform on all available options and care for visual health.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Affordability is often a perceived barrier, not a real one. When you inform, demonstrate, and reframe cost, patients may decide the improved lifestyle and benefits are worth the investment.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for health care professionals only. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual/s based on their personal experience. The clinical advice contained in this video is not a substitute for proper medical education and training or the exercise of independent health care professional judgement. Each situation should be considered unique to each patient, and all treatments should be individualised accordingly based on the respective health care professional’s judgement.
References
- Woods J, Woods C, Fonn D. Visual performance of a multifocal contact lens versus monovision in established presbyopes: a randomized crossover trial. Optom Vis Sci. 2015;92(2):175-182. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000000476.
- Merchea M, Evans D, Nixon L, et al. Assessing a modified fitting approach for improved multifocal contact lens fitting. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2019 Oct;42(5):540-545. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2019.06.006.
- Thaler RH. Mental accounting matters. J Behav Decis Making. 1999;12(3):183-206.
