Premium lens market may be poised for upswing
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Better preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative technologies, plus fears from the pandemic, may lead to increased interest in the premium lens market, according to a speaker at Octane’s virtual Ophthalmology Technology Summit.
Premium lens procedures increased nationally from April to June. Patients have cited the availability of government subsidies, fears from the pandemic and better education as reasons to invest in upgraded lenses, Inder Paul Singh, MD, said at the meeting.
“People have fears of touching their eyes right now, either with glasses or contact lenses. It’s becoming an issue. Even the issue of people with glasses wearing masks — they’re having a hard time wearing them,” he said.
About 10% of patients in his practice who canceled appointments due to the shutdown have decided to upgrade to premium lenses.
Surgeon confidence levels are at an all-time high due to advancements in surgical technologies, better lens choices and the ability to adjust lenses postoperatively, with either refractive surgery or the Light Adjustable Lens (RxSight).
“There is a growing market for cataract surgery in general. For us, we must be aware that efficiency will be a big issue. Patients don’t want to be in the office long, and we want to get patients through the door quicker in the safest possible way. That’s what we’re talking about with telemedicine and a lot of the software we have,” Singh said.
Developing a premium infrastructure, investing in the necessary technology and having confidence in the technology are key. Biometers are “the heart and soul of what we do,” Singh said.
“We have amazing technologies out there. We personally use the IOLMaster 700 (Zeiss). It gives us a lot more data. Every patient, because the acquisition time is so short, gets this done right away at my consult. Every technician can do it,” he said.
Surgeons can take this data to the operating room and be more comfortable with the outcomes they provide their patients.
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Singh IP, et al. What are you doing differently in your practice? Presented at: Octane’s Ophthalmology Technology Summit; Aug. 6-8, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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