Chris Bennett: Success all round for Optical Express’s free laser eye surgery initiative

Fortune favours the brave was Optician’s response to Optical Express’s bold move in offering free laser eye surgery to all GOC registered professionals and favour it it has.

This week the results of the project are released and even the most gung-ho marketing man on OE’s books could not have predicted the massive take-up or the positive outcome. Professionals working for rival firms have applied for free Lasik in their droves. More importantly the positive attitudes the procedure seems to have imparted will be eyed as marketing gold-dust by Optical Express’s PR machine.

This exercise also has some interesting lessons for the profession itself. Around 60 per cent of those opting to have the treatment were optometrists but their lack of knowledge on the subject of corrective laser eye surgery is telling. Over 66 per cent, from a fairly young cohort, thought teaching of the subject at university was insufficient. Indeed a third said lack of knowledge had stopped them from having the procedure in the first place; 36 per cent said cost.