Is an Internet Cooperative the Answer?

By Mary Field

Internet dispensing continues to be a challenge to the standard of product delivery that eyecare professionals believe is required and to the business models we have traditionally used. Clients continue to come to regulated professionals asking for their PD measurements and contact lens specifications. A confused message is being given as to whether or not we are required to release the information, whether or not we can or should charge for the information, and whether or not we are liable should we give out the information and the client subsequently runs into trouble with a product that was purchased based on those measurements. Friction between the professional and the public is no fun and it’s no way to build a relationship. A lot of us feel like we’re stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place with nowhere to turn.

Governments and the court system do not seem to provide recourse for these concerns. A challenge through either route takes a long time, is costly, and in any event the ‘do it yourself dispensing’ model is too dynamic to wait for these agencies to catch up.
What we need are business and regulatory solutions for right now! In spite of the number of times we’ve written about the issue on these pages and as many times as we’ve had discussion groups about it in the past several years, eyecare professionals are still fuming because there’s been no resolution.

Recently we read a legal opinion from a Canadian lawyer that offered the following on the release of PD and K readings:

“In our opinion, based on a reading of the overall purposes of the relevant legislation as currently drafted, an optician would have an obligation, when requested, to give clients the measurements as defined. However, an optician would not be legally liable for any further use of those measurements, as long as the measurements were taken with reasonable care in all circumstances.”

And on the sale of plano coloured contact lenses by Gags Unlimited (a store that also sells whoopee cushions and plastic barf), the legal opinion is relative to the definition of an optician as outlined in the relevant provincial Act:

“In our opinion, the Act applies only to work linked to a written prescription and thus, not cosmetic contact lenses. Due to the costs associated with the proceeding and the limited likelihood of a successful prosecution, we would recommend not privately prosecuting Gags Unlimited…” 

Let our regulatory bodies get on with it and change what they can via legislation but let’s not encourage them to spend our registration money on endless legal proceedings that have no hope of succeeding... until and unless the legislation can be changed.

We need to do something NOW!  We need to innovate. Let’s do a gap analysis of what we have, what they have and identify what we have that’s better. Then let’s broadcast the heck out of it!  Let’s discuss with our regulatory bodies how we can remain within the legitimacy of the regulatory scheme and still compete on the Internet and with the Internet. If ever there was a time for collaboration, this is it! What about an Internet cooperative?  Maybe we need to examine the niche markets that we want and shed the demographic that doesn’t care about a standard of care. Maybe we need to reflect on the dispensing experience. Is it fun? Is it personal?

Gap Analysis
Take a look at an Internet website that sells eyeglasses and contact lenses. Instead of taking a snarling look at the website, try to be objective so you can identify what is appealing about the site. Make a list of all the tools they offer. Do a ‘They have / We have’ comparison. Are they interactive?  Then you find ways to be more interactive. Is it easy to find your way through their Internet site and get to what you want to order? Then you find ways to make it just as easy for people to find their way through your live, real time site where a human being is there to answer questions.

Internet Cooperative
It’s the professional interface that’s missing from the Internet business model. Maybe through your association a group of you could offer a form of Internet dispensing that drives consumers in your direction. What if people could order their frames and contact lenses from a central site and then be directed to your dispensary for pick-up and further dispensing services? 

Don’t like that? What if, when someone comes in for their PD, instead of fighting with them and because you have their best interest at heart, let them order the product from the Internet, and then charge them a service fee for dispensing and troubleshooting? 

Don’t like that? What if you charge a service fee for providing them with their PD and for adjusting their glasses? Sure, you might break them but they have warranties on the Internet. Just make sure you confirm the terms of reference and the client understands that the original vendor must replace the glasses if broken.

What is my Niche?
What segment of the market are you targeting? Do you want the demographic that’s interested in cheap and disposable glasses? If you do then you have to find a way to compete.

But, I wonder if that’s really where you want to be. If your frame display is all about fashion and quality, your frames likely retail at anywhere from $400 to $600 or more. With progressive lenses and coatings the total could come to well over $1,000. The people who are willing to spend this kind of money are people who want individual service. They want to feel as if they’ve got a custom product. These are the people who like to go to a bookstore where they can sit in an easy chair and read a few pages and maybe end up spending $150 on one book. These are the people who like special touches like having a latte while their hair stylist is giving them a cut that costs them over $150 every four weeks.

Great ideas come from talking and sharing. Great changes come from grass roots movements. Talk to one another. Keep thinking outside the box, and keep wondering, “What if…?” 

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