Major eye care trends emerge regularly, and your practice must remain up-to-date. You’ll appeal to more patients by offering the latest products and learning about the latest breakthroughs in eye care.

This year, some of the significant eye care trends have developed as a result of the Coronavirus Crisis. More optometry practices have turned to tele-optometry to protect themselves and their patients.

3D printing, blue light glasses, and outsourced accounting are also surging in popularity.

1. Tele-optometry

Tele-optometry allows an optometrist and a patient to connect virtually without sharing a physical space. As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact office hours and poses a health risk to physicians, nurses, office staff, and patients, many optometrists have turned to tele-optometry.

Some doctors are hesitant to use virtual technology, with concerns that the patients will be unhappy with their care. Excluding patients with known eye diseases or who recently had ocular surgery, a study found that 96.67% of patients believe the tele-appointment met their needs. In comparison, 100% felt the in-person appointment met their needs.

Although not a perfect replacement, tele-optometry allows practices to continue to see patients for routine checkups, instead of pushing the appointments back indefinitely.

However, if you choose to offer tele-optometry, be sure to update your virtual security settings to prevent hackers from interrupting appointments or accessing private information.

2. 3D Printing Frames

Fitting glasses is a complicated process. You need to consider the patient’s prescription, reasons for wearing the glasses, and their style preferences. Some patients are very particular about the look and feel of their glasses.

To combat this trend, many eyewear companies and practices have started 3D printing their lenses and frames. The advantages of 3D-printing are many. You can custom design glasses to a patient’s facial structure, and 3D-printed material is lighter and stronger than traditionally made frames.

Offering 3D-printed glasses in addition to your standard frames allows patients to find the perfect frames for their needs.

3. Blue Light Glasses

Many companies and industries have turned to remote-working since the onset of the pandemic. As a result, students, teachers, and employees nationwide spend hours more per day looking at screens.

The demand for blue light glasses has soared as people search for ways to protect their eyes from eye strain. Although there are many inexpensive blue light glasses available on the internet, there are not many options for patients who wear glasses to improve their eyesight.

Offering prescription blue light glasses can help you remain relevant and encourage your current patients to reach out, even as the pandemic limits the number of patients you can see.

4. Outsourcing Bookkeeping

Many optometrist practices are turning to accounting companies that specialize in optometry practices. An accounting company can handle all your tax and bookkeeping paperwork, allowing you to focus on your patients. In these trying times, outsourcing your accounting might sound like an unnecessary expense.

However, outsourced accounting is an example of spending money to save money. Your accountant will ensure you receive the maximum tax deductions, streamline your accounts payable system, and save you time during tax season.

Choose Caro & Associates

At Caro & Associates, we specialize in accounting for optometry practices. We can handle your books so you can concentrate on your patients. Call us today at (206) 497-0671 or email us at info@caroandassociates.com for more information and how we can help you streamline and grow your business.