In the past Myopia Mindset episodes, we’ve examined the condition, the current corrective options, and the real-world impact myopia management can have on your patients. However, there’s another party that stands to benefit from myopia control: You.
In this episode, Chandler R. Mann II, OD, Sabrina Gaan, OD, and Eric S. Heaps, OD, explain how they came to realize myopia management could be more than a clinical service and share some steps you can take to turn your offerings into a legitimate source of growth.
“It's probably one of the biggest growth factors for every single practice type of optometry over the next three to five years.”
A built-in referral engine
How can myopia control increase the business your practice receives? A 2023 global survey of more than 3,000 eyecare practitioners found that those who adopted myopia control reported gains in patient loyalty and practice revenue as key motivators for offering it.1
Dr. Gaan’s career provides an effective case study. As previously mentioned, after graduating, Dr. Gaan took over the practice of a retiring optometrist who provided lots of orthokeratology fittings, meaning she quickly had to get on board with doing the same. However, as she did so, she began to notice two ways managing myopia was driving an influx of new patients.
The first was through referrals from other practitioners. Because few other optometrists offered myopia control, Dr. Gaan garnered a reputation of being a reliable place to send myopes. Working 5 days per week over two offices, she would receive an average of six new myopia patients per week. But other doctors weren’t the only ones making referrals—after managing patients and talking to them about myopia, they would also send new myopes Dr. Gaan’s way.
“I started to realize how much of a referral source myopia control is because I just kept getting more referrals,” she says. “It makes sense considering how almost every parent tells us they’ve never heard of this before—which is incredibly upsetting because it should be standard-of-care.”
3 tips for growing your practice through myopia control
In today’s day and age, no myope should see an optometrist without being presented with options for control. However, Dr. Mann acknowledges not every practitioner will want to personally offer myopia management themselves.
This, he says, is absolutely okay—as long as such practices still educate patients and, importantly, refer them to a practitioner that will manage their myopia. But for those in that latter category, here are some steps that can help you make the biggest impact possible:
1. Connect with colleagues.
The relationship between practitioners who offer myopia control and those that don’t can easily be mutually beneficial, while also making the profession better for patients, who can access the care they need.
It’s for this reason that practitioners should actively establish connections with their colleagues also practicing in the local area. This can be done by visiting a colleague’s office, or where this might not be feasible, sending over a letter with your cards.
As Dr. Mann reminds us, the purpose of such a visit shouldn’t be to ask for referrals but instead to benefit your colleague’s myopic patients. Introduce yourself, explain what you do, and offer to help build up their practice, for example, by consulting—though in his experience, 90% of the time, he is just asked to take on the cases.
“I never ask for referrals. I just tell colleagues I'm passionate about this and happy to consult on cases. Ninety percent of the time, they just say, 'Take the case.'”
And when he does receive a referral from another practitioner, Dr. Heaps likes to send a note back thanking them and letting them know exactly what was done. Not only does this show your gratitude, but it can also make your name the first that comes to mind when another patient needs referring.
2. Embed yourself within the community.
If people in your community know you, when they require help with their vision, they’re more likely to find themselves at your door. This is why local sponsorships—for example, of sports teams, groups, or institutions—can help build you a reputation of being somebody that cares about the children in your community, and their vision.
You can also offer vision screenings at your local school, including a myopia check. When she does this, Dr. Gaan provides each student with a detailed letter containing her practice information, what she checked for, and what exactly the child needs. Although they won’t necessarily come to your practice, you’ve provided the patient and their parents with the information needed to start a conversation with their doctor.
3. Align your approach.
Although it’s easy to think practitioners are the only ones that need to be knowledgeable about myopia, patients constantly interact with other members of staff. Your front desk will field myopia questions and thus need to know who to signpost specific patients to; likewise, your opticians are often the last staff members patients interact with, and as a result may be asked any additional queries they have, especially about treatment modalities.
This is why continually educating all your staff members on myopia management, your protocols and procedures, and what you’re saying in the exam line is important. There are many ways to do this—such as lunch learner sessions, external training from myopia reps, and intensive full office reset sessions—and doing so not only makes the patient experience better, but also conveys the message that everybody is aligned with your practice’s myopia direction.
You can also designate a “myopia champion,” a clinical specialist given specialist training that can serve as your practice’s touchpoint for all things myopia, who can aid you with this education. And, as mentioned before, resources can open parents’ eyes to the potential oncoming conversation so they can start informing themselves.
Dr. Gaan has found that placing a TV cycling through educational material in your waiting room can be a relatively inexpensive method of raising awareness—and may even reduce your need for pamphlets.
Charging what the service is worth
Finally, as uncomfortable as the topic of money can sometimes be, your practice is a business—which means being paid for your work. Here, it’s important to ensure that you don’t undervalue the service you provide to patients.
When it comes to discussing fees, Dr. Gaan advises taking a confident approach. “The more you hesitate, the more hesitant parents will get,” she says. “The more confident you are, the easier it is to book these appointments.” Because ultimately the purpose of all of this is being able to take preventative actions for a parent’s child that’s going to help them long-term.
As we’re reminded, all these aspects of growing your myopia management program are just another part of delivering for patients. You’ll likely make mistakes as you go along, but by just getting started and learning as you grow, you’ll soon find success.
In closing
Myopia management is no longer a niche offering—it's a service that builds referral networks, deepens patient loyalty, and generates meaningful, recurring revenue. The practices seeing the biggest returns are the ones treating it as a standard of care rather than an optional add-on, backed by trained staff and confident, consistent pricing.
As Dr. Mann, Dr. Gaan, and Dr. Heaps make clear, the path forward starts with one decision: stop waiting and start building the program now.
