September 3, 2024
By Vaughn Brinegar, OD
Getting staff excited about new treatments and technologies can be overwhelming. Being passionate about helping young patients makes it all worth it.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
“Hey, I have an idea…” These could be unsettling words when talking to your staff, but getting your team onboard is critical when implementing new treatments and technologies. One such modality is myopia management, and it is rapidly gaining momentum.
While it is essential to have a healthy level of skepticism when implementing new procedures and there are common stumbling blocks staff may have, there are certainly ways to overcome them and find success in your practice.
“Myopia Management Doesn’t Work!”
This is one of the most common concerns skeptical staff members might start with. My answer: excitement breeds excitement. When you’re introducing something new to your staff, it’s imperative that they understand why you’re making these choices, the benefits of doing so, and the ways that you’re going to help patients. Once your staff sees the success of myopia management firsthand, it’s easier to get them excited ― and on board.
Fitting my staff members’ children has become a walking, talking infomercial for our practice, and having your staff on board with these treatments will pay off time and time again. Excited parents love to tell their friends, and excited staff members will be able to share their honest, firsthand experiences.
I believe that our practice is so successful with myopia management because we are truly passionate about it. Treating myopia management patients is the best part of my day, and it is becoming more and more of my day as word-of-mouth spreads.
Fitting your staff members in orthokeratology lenses is another way to get patients excited about the services your clinic offers. Many patients have never heard about overnight lenses and are interested once they learn that they can be glasses-free during the day.
“It Takes Too Long to Explain and I’m Not Sure How to Answer Their Questions”
This is a valid concern and one that should be addressed well before beginning any new service in your practice. It is critical that all staff have a general understanding of myopia management, what it does, what it doesn’t do (reverse prescriptions, offer permanent correction), how much the service costs, what it covers and doesn’t cover, what patients would be good or not-so-good candidates, and when to schedule patients for these special services.
Parents will call and ask questions over the phone, so every person who speaks with patients must be on the same page about what your practice offers. Myopia management services come at a high price tag for patients, and your staff must be able to answer all questions clearly and professionally. We’ve attended workshops, such as Vision by Design, to prepare everyone in our office to answer any patient and parent questions about myopia management. Many free webinars address these topics. Make it fun and host a dinner with staff while watching one!
“Kids Really Sleep in Their Lenses?”
Another common concern among staff members is safety and hygiene with OrthoK lenses. In the eye care industry, we’re so used to advising our patients against sleeping in their lenses, but OrthoK breaks that rule. However, this is an opportunity to educate our staff members — and our patients and their parents — about the safety of sleeping in OrthoK lenses.
The latest statistics are reassuring, showing that “the risk of microbial keratitis in childhood OrthoK wear is between 5 and 14 per 10,000 patient-wearing years.”1-2 Of course, making sure that staff is educated to instruct patients never to use tap water around their lenses, adhere to proper follow-up schedules, and practice good hygiene, is paramount to success. It can be helpful to implement a checklist that your staff members can review with patients to make sure all points are discussed.
“Kids Are Too Young to Wear Contact Lenses”
While it can be challenging to teach younger patients the ins and outs of insertion and removal with contacts, we have found young children are very coachable and eager to learn how to put lenses on. If a child is too young, parents can often be trained on inserting night-time lenses. With soft lenses, we prefer that children can successfully insert and remove them on their own in case of any issues that happen at school or when parents aren’t close by to assist. We’ve found that showing videos of children putting lenses on instills confidence in our patients. We also offer a prize that the child picks out in advance so they know their strenuous efforts will be rewarded.
“I’m Not Sure What Tests to Run for Myopia Management Patients”
The testing for myopia management patients is a bit more in depth than traditional eye exams, but it’s not impossible. Creating a patient flow for staff will be essential for patient care to run smoothly. We indicate on our schedule which tests (axial length, topography, etc.) will be needed so our staff is confident in their responsibilities before the patient arrives.
“Myopia Management is Too Expensive”
It’s vital not to judge anyone’s pocketbook or spend their money for them. Patients will pay for what they find value in, and I have found that parents are willing to pay for their children’s health before other priorities ― especially parents who know what it is like to be nearsighted. CareCredit, in-office payment plans, or dividing the program into monthly payments like a subscription are all ways to make the cost more appealing. These are all aspects of myopia management care that our whole team is educated on and can communicate with parents about.
Change can be difficult, but it is essential to be flexible and open minded to stay at the forefront of all that optometry has to offer. Getting staff excited about new treatments and technologies can be overwhelming. Being passionate about helping young patients makes it all worth it. Little by little, how you treat childhood myopia can become your office culture.
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Vaughn Brinegar, OD, graduated from Southern College of Optometry in 2003. She has been in private practice with her sister, Victoria DeFeo, OD, at Ultimate Eye Care since May 2005 in Austin, Texas. Their office is in a suburban location with a lot of young families, so they emphasize myopia management. You can contact Dr. Brinegar at vbrinegar@ultimateeyecare.com
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References
- Bullimore MA, Sinnott LT, Jones-Jordan LA. The risk of microbial keratitis with overnight corneal reshaping lenses. Optom Vis Sci 2013;90:937-944.
- Bullimore MA, Mirsayafov DS, Khurai AR, Kononov LB, Asatrian SP, Shmakov AN, Richdale K, Gorev VV. Pediatric Microbial Keratitis With Overnight Orthokeratology in Russia. Eye Contact Lens. 2021 Jul 1;47(7):420-425.
