PATIENTS TELL HOYA THEY ARE LOOKING FOR RELIEF FROM BLUE LIGHT FATIGUE
Hoya Vision Care recently commissioned a consumer research study to test market messaging options with eyecare patients. “Strategies for Keeping Purchases at Independent Practices: Prescribing for Blue Light Overexposure” is the title of the study results summary report released that summarizes the research findings and offers independent ECPs easy to implement tactics.
The science behind Hoya’s product development is complex; however the benefits to patients are very concrete. Hoya’s customers, independent ECPs, need tools to simply share the environmental concerns we have in our society today and then prescribe a solution to their patients. People have very real, chronic symptoms brought on by overexposure to blue light and together with the doctor, we can help them. The study Hoya conducted, results and tools will help ECPs help their patients as well as build their individual brands.
Respondents in the study shared with Hoya:
- They had either never heard of blue light or only associated it with sleep patterns, rather than eye health.
- Acknowledged that blue light can cause macular degeneration, though such terms were viewed as scare tactics.
- They would listen to their eye doctor’s recommendations with regard to blue light protection.
- News articles and medical studies helped validate the information they were presented.
- They are seeking good value—which doesn’t always mean lowest price.
The results of the study are summarized in the report and provide details on how to utilize the exam as an opportunity to present the issue of blue light with patients. Practical tips, data points and lifestyle questions are just some of the tools provided. In addition, there is a section that outlines when offering Hoya lenses and treatments such as Sync and Recharge, the first AR treatment to offer blue light filtering, would be most beneficial.
Copies of “Strategies for Keeping Purchases at Independent Practices: Prescribing for Blue Light Overexposure” are available through Hoya Territory sales managers or via Hoya’s social media channels including the weekly e-newsletter “Your Hoya Minute.”
EYEXAM APP FEATURED ON ABC WORLD NEWS WITH DIANE SAWYER
EyeXam, the mobile eyecare app, was recently featured on “ABC World News” with Diane Sawyer in its popular “Real Money” series. The segment headlined a family using the EyeXam app on their smartphones and tablets. Family members downloaded it for free, took a free self-guided vision screening, found a local eyecare provider and saved money on their eyecare purchases. EyeXam’s founder, an eye doctor, Nikki Iravani, OD, was spotlighted in the story.
One of the tips ABC reporter Paula Faris emphasized involved the free vision screening on the EyeXam app. The purpose of the screening is to motivate consumers to visit an eyecare professional, as the family’s mother did when she visited a local Vision Source office, a VSP provider, for a comprehensive eye exam. The app also makes it easier and more convenient to find an eye doctor, make an appointment, see promotions and communicate with the doctor.
“It’s an honor to be featured in this renowned ‘ABC World News’ with Diane Sawyer broadcast, since it is important for consumers to visit eyecare providers to get eye exams routinely so they maintain optimal eye health,” says EyeXam founder and CEO Nikki Iravani, OD.
The ABC story underscored the importance of how the rapidly converging digital world and health care is affecting the way millions of people in the United States think about wellness and health care costs. Technology and its advances are leading to empowering both patients and caregivers by fostering connectivity between them. Studies show almost 80 percent of consumers have expressed interest in mobile health care solutions, which is causing the number of health care apps to expand quickly.
—Andrew Karp
