|Articles|April 24, 2015

First-class dry eye treatment

I can assure you that as consumers, we are all looking for the first-class treatment. When it comes to recommendations for your patients, do you offer them best-in-class treatments, or do you hold back?

Walking through first class after sitting in coach on a recent flight made me realize that everyone wants to sit in these plush, large, cushy, chairs. As a frequent flyer, I do get upgraded from time to time. When I return home from a trip of which I have been upgraded, my wife jibes me about the warm cookies that I received.

I can assure you that as consumers, we are all looking for the first-class treatment. When it comes to recommendations for your patients, do you offer them best-in-class treatments, or do you hold back? When it comes to contact lenses, are we offering all of our patients elite-surfaced, single-use lenses?

Are we offering our computer users blue-blocking non-glare treatment? Are you discussing cyclosporine for your dry eye patients or Lipiflow (TearScience) for your patients with MGD?

Related: Why dry eye means more vision

I have traveled all around this great marble that we call home and hear the same thing time and time again-“My patients can’t afford that.”

How do you know?

How many of us have been offended by the offering of an airline ticket agent for a first-class upgrade? A recommendation and a prescription are for your patients to take if they like. Offer the upgrade; you never know who might take you up on first class.

(FYI: I rarely get hot cookies when flying in first class, but when I do, they have always run out of cold milk-how first class can it really be?) 

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