The Baby Boomer Eyecare Market
In these days of growing competition, both online and in your local market, it’s important to constantly be thinking about and looking for new ways to stand out in the crowd. You may have worked very hard to establish your practice with the basics – great customer service, competitive pricing and quality products. Wonderful! Do you find that doesn’t seem to be enough? Do you still see your numbers shrinking?
As we’ve suggested in this blog before, it might be time to look for other markets you can go after. Are you learning about Millennials and how to attract their business? Have you taken a look at putting some focus on sports eyewear or children and youth?
In this article, I’d like to make you aware of a great series of feature articles that Vision Monday is presenting that focuses on another important segment of the market, senior citizens. Millennials have taken the lead as the largest group of consumers. However, Baby Boomers are not far behind. And as this segment ages, the number of Americans at risk for age-related eye diseases is increasing.
As the first article in the series points out, Americans with vision impairment is expected to double in the next 30 years. Conditions include:
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), affecting more than 2 million adults aged 50+
- Cataracts, affecting more than 24 million adults aged 40+
- Diabetic retinopathy, affecting 7.7 million adults aged 40+
- Glaucoma, affecting 2.7 million adults aged 40+
- Low vision, or visual impairment, affecting 2.9 million adults aged 40+
This month, Vision Monday is launching a three-part series exploring Boomer vision. You’ll get a snapshot of how eyecare professionals can prepare and position themselves to meet the needs of this significant age group. The first article looks at some contemporary approaches to three areas:
- Presbyopia and the prescription of progressive lenses
- Night vision, glare and the tints that can help reduce them
- Tools and tactics to equip practitioners for treating those with low vision
Presbyopia: The Personal Touch
In this section of the article, several ECPs offer insight for preparing for Boomers and training staff to have more of a hands-on approach. Empathizing with patients and educating them about different progressive solutions helps provide a customized product and a memorable experience that brings patients back year after year.
Using Tint and AR to Combat Glare
To help older patients cope with problems associated with night vision and glare, several ODs provide their recommendations for using tint and anti-reflective coatings. For example, the newer headlights emit a greater concentration of blue light. There are new technologies to help with this. During the day, doctors can recommend polarized and anti-reflective treatments for light-sensitive seniors to help cut down on the glare while driving.
Low Vision Tools and Tactics
Approximately one in 28 Americans aged 40+ have some kind of low vision or visual impairment condition. This section of the article talks about different types of products and services an eye doctor can offer with low vision. For example, one doctor talks about the success he’s had with different tools like microscopic and telemicroscopic glasses to help with reading computer screens and other tasks in the intermediate range.
If you could use some tips on growing your business by focusing on the Baby Boomer generation, this is a great article to absorb. As with any patient, you start by listening to the needs and desires of each patient and prescribe solutions to help them do what they want to do.
To read the article in its entirety, visit: http://www.visionmonday.com/eyecare/optometry/article/senioreyetis/
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