I attended the Acuvue Health Adviser symposium in Poland last weekend. Organised by Johnson and Johnson to coincide with the launch of their daily multifocal contact lens, the event brought home a couple of interesting points.
Firstly, it is clear that the penetration of multifocal contact lenses in the UK and the US is way ahead of that of other countries. In Poland, only 1% of the contact lens market value relates to multifocals despite the number of presbyopes, both current and predicted, being similar to that of the rest of Europe. This appears to be related to a couple of factors. Firstly, there is a lack of awareness about multifocal contacts among the public and practitioners alike.
Monovision still appears to be considered a first choice option by many despite clear evidence that the vision that results is second rate – I would go mad if someone tried to fit me with monovision!
There is also a perception that the fitting process itself requires chair time and results in a dropout rate that makes spectacles a more profitable option. The use of fitting guides and the careful communication of the benefits of the new products available should cancel out this myth. As one delegate pointed out – saying to a patient ‘see all the things you can do without glasses’ instead of ‘the vision may not be quite what it is with glasses but…’ will obviously influence the success of the outcome.
The second point that became clear is how firm a grip ophthalmologists have in continental Europe upon eye care – indeed in some countries, such as France, they have an almost complete hold over the provision of refraction and primary eye care. The UK set up, for all its confusion over commercial and clinical provision, still serves as a useful model for many countries in how best to use professional resources and provide easier access to eye care services.