Here’s a familiar scenario: A patient walks into the dispensary and asks for Brand A lenses, which he’s seen advertised. The dispenser says, “Sorry, we don’t carry those lenses, but we have Brand B. They’re just as good.”

Some patients will walk out and seek Brand A elsewhere. But most will accept the dispenser’s recommendation because, after all, they’re lens experts.

There’s nothing wrong with using a bit of salesmanship to satisfy a customer. In fact, it’s smart to substitute one lens for another, as long as it’s done with the patient’s knowledge and consent, and the product meets their visual, aesthetic and price requirements.

However, a new study of eyecare professionals recently released by Transitions Optical shows that the “unauthorized” substitution of one lens brand for another—switching brands without the patient’s knowledge or consent—is common. In fact, it occurs three times as much with AR, progressive and photochromic lens brands as opposed to frame and contact lens brands, according to Transitions. Yet the ECPs said they consider brand names important because they offer high rates of patient satisfaction, improved technology and improved eye health benefits. A separate study showed that consumers agree on the importance of lens brands.

How does unauthorized brand substitution happen? The research doesn’t address this, but it could occur when the doctor specifically recommends a certain product brand and the dispenser doesn’t order it from the lab correctly, or says it is OK if the lab doesn’t have the brand in stock. Or it could be happening at the lab level, where the dispenser orders a specific brand but the lab switches it without specifically letting the dispenser know.

Brands have value for patients and ECPs. It’s up to doctors, dispensers and labs to protect the value of the brands they sell by making sure they’re delivering “the real thing” when it’s requested, or else advising the patient of quality alternatives if that brand is unavailable.

Andrew Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology
[email protected]