IcareLabs Blog

Many practices shut down due to state and federal guidelines that helped us flatten the curve for the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, some practices are still closed but look to be opening soon. Many have recently opened back up. Here are the American Optometric Associations suggestions for re-opening your practice while still practicing safety and social distancing guidelines.

Lens technology continues to grow along with the needs and wants of our patients.  More of them are seeking the best vision possible out of their lenses. While high end, compensated lenses more than fill their needs. They have also become viewed by many as a necessary evil. I believe with better understanding, almost all will see them as a necessary good with a few minor drawbacks.

In the relationship between the lab and the optician, nothing is more agreed on than the aggravation of redoes and remakes. No one wins when a job has to go back to the lab to be redone.

Above all else, the patient has to experience a delay in receiving their new glasses. Often these delays can harm your reputation as an eye care professional. When the delay goes on long enough it could cost you return business and even force a refund and lost sale.

The hard part has been done. Your marketing efforts paid off and you have a new patient. Now comes the next step, what do you to keep them coming back year after year?

Retaining your patient base might be the most important job you have. Your goal should always be to turn a first-time buyer into a stark raving mad fan of you and your business. The good news with this is that it will not cost much. You will not need an expensive marketing program to accomplish this.

It all starts with you and your staff. Make a few changes and focus on a few tasks and you will see your retention numbers grow.

Here are 8 keys to improving your customer retention.

Essilor has announced the release of the third wave of Transition Signature GEN 8 lenses. This follows the first 2 waves of GEN 8 released in July and October of 2019. This is great news as the roll out for GEN 8 is now complete.

We also have a sneak peek of the new Varilux Comfort Max progressive lens that you won't find anywhere else!

The power of a brand name cannot be underestimated. You see it every day in what sells with your frame selection. Companies and corporations fight for brand name recognition as they understand the value.

A global survey found that 59% of respondents prefer to buy new products with a brand that they know. No other product in our lens industry has a more recognized name than Kodak Lens. While Kodak cameras are no longer hot sellers thanks to the smartphone, the name continues to hold on.

2020 is undoubtedly the year of all things optical. IcareLabs wants to make sure you not only meet your optical sales goals for the year, but we want this to be the best year you have ever had!

You, like many others, use the new year to make resolutions and/or promises to make changes in your life. Making a resolution is the easy part, sticking with it is another thing altogether. This is why there is a waiting line at the gym in January and by June you would be surprised if you had to wait for a machine. The number one reason that resolutions fail is that we treat them like a sprint and not a marathon.

We try and make too many or too big of changes that are just too hard to stick with. Let's focus on some small doable goals for 2020. Keep it simple and have some fun. 

We have just finished an update with our state-of-the-art surfacing equipment which enables us to surface the Varilux X Series lenses in-house. With this, we are now able to produce the full line of Varilux digital products in-house along with the full line of Crizal products.

This enables us to be your one-stop-shop for Varilux and Crizal products!

In the ever-growing world of digital single vision offerings, Essilor and Kodak Lens have just released information on their new designs.

These great new lens options are designed to help patients deal with digital eye strain and visual fatigue.

Let's take a look at each and see what they bring to the table.

What is blue light?

Blue light is at the bottom end of the visible light spectrum with the shortest wavelength and the highest energy. Blue light is often referred to as violet or violet light. Blue light is just above ultra-violet (UV) in the light spectrum.

Blue light is defined as visible light ranging from 380 to 500 nm. In some circles, blue light is broken down further into 2 segments – Blue-Violet (280 – 455) and Blue-Turquoise light (455-500nm).

Before we get to breaking down the blue light products that we carry here are a few key points you need to know.