Advanced Technology and Why You Need It In Your Practice.

I was talking with my Optometrist the other day. He is the proprietor of an independent optical shop that was originally established by his father. In short, it is a practice that is over forty years old. I am leaving out names and places, because I am sure that this scenario is not at all unusual, and this type of practice exists in pretty much every town and city across the country.

Our conversation was about the latest technical advances in optical diagnostic equipment and software. The list is rather long, Autolensometers, Autorefractors, Auto Phoropters, Multiple function diagnostic machines, Retinal Scanners, Practice Management Software, Electronic Health Records, Paperless Offices, etc. The list goes on and on.

My Doctor's standpoint is summed up as follows.

"Why should I invest money into all of this technology, when the end result basically boils down to how accurate my refractions are? It all comes down to Sphere, Cylinder, Axis, and Add. I am a highly skilled optometrist with many years of experience under my belt. My patients are happy with their examination results. They have good vision, which is what they pay me for. I don't need a bunch of expensive machinery to do my job for me. It seems to me to be completely unnecessary."

I think he expected me to debate him on the merits of his statement, but he was a little surprised when I told him that I think he is absolutely correct! Now, before anybody blows a fuse, let me explain. 

I honestly believe that a skilled optometrist working with an old fashioned phoropter will generate an excellent prescription nearly every time. I have CONFIDENCE in their ability, and therein lies the rub. I am not everybody. I am a member of the last generation that can remember life without computers. I grew up as computers were coming into the mainstream, I have witnessed the transition from what society was, to what it now is. When I was young, I learned to trust professionals to be experts in their fields, and to trust their findings and opinions. That was then, and this is now.

It really has nothing to do with whether or not the final prescription is accurate. It has everything to do with whether or not the patient has confidence that it is. A person graduating university today has no direct experience of the world without computers. To them, technology has been a part of their life for as long as they can remember. They trust technology nearly without question. They consider a lack of technology to be something to be mistrusted. They would consider my doctor to be out of touch, and behind the times. The fact is that they would have more confidence in technology than in his years of experience.

This state of affairs is exactly why you do need to employ new technology as it becomes available. Your patient base will continue aging. Your younger patients will have less and less confidence in your practice if higher technology is not utilized. Your older patients will continue to have confidence in your skill as a physician, and will no doubt be impressed by your new gadgets as they are employed. Embrace the changes. The truth is, most of the aforementioned technologies can and will make life easier and more organized for you. You will continue to generate accurate prescriptions that ALL of your patients can have confidence in!

Don't just take my word for it. Pay attention to the new ad campaign from Lenscrafters. They have boiled the situation down to a 30 second spot where they portray a young woman sitting behind a phoropter with high plus power lenses in front of her giving her an exaggerated bug eyed look. They talk about old fashioned this and that, and then go into how they use the most advanced technology available. They have hit the nail on the head. They don't actually say that their prescriptions or lens measurements ARE more accurate, but it is certainly implied. They are definitely targeting the younger generation, and using their affinity with technology to entice them away from practices that choose not to modernize.

My advice, for what its worth, would be to put as much high technology into your practice as possible. Celebrate it, explain it to your patients. Have the equipment out in the open where the patients can see it. Remember, you are creating an image of your business, and that image needs to appeal to the younger generation. Other practices are doing just that, and if you choose not to, you can expect to slowly lose the younger generations of patients to other "High Tech" practices. Evolve or fade away. The choice is yours.

Justin Mathias, ABOC, NCLEC, LDO.