CLs can enhance spend

Using contact lenses as an aid to spectacle dispensing encourages patients to spend more on their eyewear and is more likely to result in them wearing contact lenses, according to new research.

The EASE (Enhancing the Approach to Selecting Eyewear) Study was presented by the president of the British Contact Lens Association, Nick Atkins, during his Presidential Address in London last week.

The research was carried out with Dr Philip Morgan and Sarah Morgan of the University of Manchester, and supported by the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and Bausch & Lomb.

Practices around the UK recruited patients with no previous contact lens experience. One group of patients was offered soft contact lenses to wear while choosing eyewear. A second group was dispensed in the normal way, and the amount they spent on eyewear and future contact lens purchase was compared.