Patients Order Contact Lenses Online thru CooperVision

CooperVision, Inc., is beta-testing a program that enables patients to order replacement contact lenses from any manufacturer via their mobile device, tablet or computer. Through the program, called LensFerry, ABB Optical ships the lenses to the patient’s home, and the prescribing practice receives sales revenue as if ECPs office ordered the lenses for the patient. The service will be part of WebSystem3’s EyeCare Prime suite later this year. The ECP needs to follow four steps:

1. In conjunction with selecting and prescribing contacts, the practice enrolls a wearer and verifies the prescription.
2. The wearer selects his/her insurance benefits and applicable rebates.
3. ABB Optical ships the contact lenses to the wearer’s home or business.
4. The ECP also can send the wearer custom-branded email and/or text reorder reminders via LensFerry.
5. If a wearer is not immediately interested in placing a lens order following an in-office appointment, LensFerry can send ECP-customized follow-up messages to encourage enrollment and online ordering, build wearer loyalty and maintain relationships.

Should Customers Need a Valid Script to Order Online CLs? UK Debates

“Buting prescription contact lenses online is the subject of continued debate due to the legislation that surrounds the purchase of contact lenses in the UK. At the moment, the UK is the only country in Europe that insists that consumers have a valid prescription in order to buy contact lenses and they can only buy the amount of lenses that fall within the dates of that prescription,” according to AllMediaScotland. “So, should consumers be allowed to buy contact lenses online without a prescription? Unsurprisingly, there are many differing opinions on the subject. During a recent You & Yours interview on BBC Radio 4, Dr Catharine Chisholm, from the British Contact Lenses Association, stressed that she believed that it was not safe to buy contact lenses without a prescription. She said: ‘You must always buy based on a valid prescription that’s within date because the eye changes, and it may be that some newer lenses are more suitable for your eyes and your eye care practitioner needs to see the lens on your eye to know that it’s working and needs to follow it up over time.’” Read more.

Online Retailer Increases Competition

Competition from online retailers will increase. Here's an example of a recent LensWay promotion: "Sit back and relax with the AutoRefill program from LensWay.co.uk, the online glasses and contact lenses retailer, giving you the chance to order your contact lenses online and opt to receive an automatic refill every month on a day to suit you, delivered free of charge directly to your door. What's more, you'll get an exclusive 5% discount on every refill order you receive. And with no commitment, you're free to cancel or reschedule your refill at any time. As an added incentive, LensWay.co.uk is also offering customers that join the AutoRefill program the option of a free pair of glasses with 50% off a wide range of lenses, as well as 25% off a new pair of sunglasses!" Read more.

Optical Cyberbully Sentenced Today

"An eyewear website operator who prosecutors say left dozens and possibly hundreds of customers fearing for their lives is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in New York," reports MSNBC. "The sentencing [today}...comes after Vitaly Borker pleaded guilty to making threats and fraud charges. Prosecutors say he bullied his customers into accepting counterfeit and inferior products. They say he encouraged them to complain online to boost his Internet ranking and drive more customers his way." Read more.

OD in Australia Calls for Vigilance of CL Sales

"Paul Sheehan, a qualified optometrist and the Managing Director of Sydney-based YourLens (www.yourlens.com.au), an online wholesale distributor of contact lens to the profession, has called for increased vigilance, and an overhaul of laws surrounding the sale of contact lenses in Australia," according to MIVision. Read more.

Another Online CL Supplier

According to OregonLive, entrepreneur Hayden Hamilton wondered why contact lenses cost so much. "He concluded there was no good reason for contacts to run $20 a box or more, other than pure profit for the handful of manufacturers that control the market. 'It just seemed to be one of those things where the marginal costs are very small,' he said. So in November, he launched Luminous Lens, an online site that sells contact lenses for $9.99 a box."