Lens Butler founders launch Boxsee contact lens subscription service

Beth Samenuk and Allison Granger, formerly of The Lens Butler, announced the founding of their new company, Boxsee, providing continuity for eye care professionals looking for a competitive subscription contact lens offering as an alternative to large online retailers, according to the company’s press release.

"We are amazed by the support that we have received from the optometric community as a whole, and it is very fulfilling for us to see others share in our vision," Samenuk said in a press release from the company. "We are excited to continue our mission – to bring a convenient subscription offering to the patients of eye care providers."

Samenuk and Granger revealed in the company’s release that business grew more than 200% in the last year alone. This growth provides Boxsee with the opportunity to give independent eye care providers services that improve patient loyalty and offer an affordable, convenient option to the patient.

"We learned a lot from our venture as The Lens Butler and are excited about the new direction we are taking with Boxsee," Granger said in the release.

Melanie J. Denton OD, MBA, FAAO, who uses Boxsee’s services in her clinic in Salisbury, N.C., discussed her experience with Primary Care Optometry News.

“We believe in annual supplies for our patients, and as an office our focus is always to offer that to everyone,” Denton said. “We started offering the Lens Butler because I saw it as another way to offer an annual supply.”

She said it has been a good option for patients who are committed to contact lens wear but are unable to order an annual supply up front.

“We still sell many more annual supplies the day of the visit, but being able to offer this service cuts down on partial supplies,” she said.

“Satisfaction and convenience is crucial to any service provided to patients,” Denton said. “Additionally, Boxsee’s personalization of its subscriptions for each clinic is meaningful to both eye care providers and the patients they see.

“What I also like a lot about the service is that they take care to incorporate the logo of your practice into their monthly subscription lens box, so each delivery has a message from your office that can be personalized,” Denton continued. “They also remind patients when they are due again for their exam and direct them back to our office. For me, having a service that is tied to our practice in a way that is marketing-friendly is a really nice value add. In addition, when prescription changes or special circumstances come up, the folks at Lens Butler have been very helpful.”

PCON also spoke with Janelle Davison, OD, who adapted her clinic in Marietta, Ga., to work with the Boxsee subscription service. She discussed the impact Boxsee had on her business as well as the benefit seen by her staff and, more importantly, her patients.

“So far it's been an overall pleasant experience,” Davison said. “The staff adapted pretty well once I brought on the Lens Butler, now Boxsee, subscription, and I converted my office to where we only offer annual supplies. That was one of our biggest challenges before. When the patient doesn't get an annual supply, it's costly to the office and there's a lot of back-end administrative time, and the profit margin on contacts is not that robust to begin with. If you're only doing a box here and a box there it gets really challenging for the office.

“The way we started doing it,” she added, “was that you would get your contact lenses in bulk with a manufacturer's rebate, at one time, and be able to exhaust the insurance benefit, which is probably the biggest bang for your buck, or spread it out over time with our subscription service.”

Davison said her busy patients saw the greatest benefits. One new mother enjoyed the benefits of automatically being sent her contacts and being debited monthly instead of having to pay for an entire year at once.

She said patients appreciate the online option, convenience and simplicity. – by Scott Buzby

For more information:

Melanie J. Denton OD, MBA, FAAO, practices at Salisbury Eyecare and Eyewear. She can be reached at melaniedenton@gmail.com. Janelle Davison, OD, is the owner and clinical director of Brilliant Eyes Vision Center as well as the founder of Eyeviva Online optical. She can be reached at dr.davison@brillianteyesmarietta.com.

Disclosures: Denton and Davison report no relevant financial disclosures.

Editor's note: This story was updated to indicate that The Lens Butler offers this service to eye care providers as an alternative to large online retailers. Additionally, commentary from Denton and Davison was added.