Eye Care Professionals' Testimonials
Below are comments from eye care professionals throughout the United Kingdom who have partnered with Optos and are benefiting from the optomap® technology.
Cottam and Glaister, Lancashire:
"We wanted to add a standard fundus camera with digital imaging to the practice, then we saw the optomap® System, recognized it had more benefits to offer; including the widefield view and decided to go with optomap®".
"We know the benefits to the patients are clear and that is why we strongly recommend it to every patient. We were aware that some patients may not want to spend a little extra on the optomap® Exam. However, in reality we don't think this has had an effect on our client base as customers are totally convinced of the value of optomap® when you take the time to sit with them to review and explain the images. If anything, including optomap® in every test has made patient flow through the practice better and appointment times run to time more often. From a clinical perspective, because we are reviewing many more images now, we are learning so much more about retinal conditions and this is increasing our confidence in image interpretation."
Cottam and Glaister have been surprised by the "patient draw" factor of optomap® - they've had enquiries from patients in Canada and New Zealand as well as new patients from the local area.
The final word...
"We firmly believe in optomap® and would now feel lost and left behind in clinical practice without it".
Barnard Levit Ltd, London:
A visiting lecturer and tutor in ocular disease at City University, Dr Simon Barnard could immediately see the potential for the optomap® Exam and has successfully integrated it into the extended eye care examination offered at the busy Finchley Road practice.
"We were totally convinced that the optomap® Exam had something more to offer us over existing products."
"We have effectively positioned optomap® as an enhancement to other procedures to view the retina – but one that is free of pupil dilation or any other non-contact exam. On average 20% of the patients we see have some form of retinal pathology – many of whom have no other signs or symptoms of disease and we are only locating this thanks to optomap® . Of this 20% a small number of patients are referred to our hospital ophthalmology colleagues for further investigation. The remainder have anomalies that can be monitored within optometric practice.
optomap® enhances our ability to refer effectively and we have very few false positive referrals.
The benefits of the optomap® Exam are clearly seen by the patients – both in terms of them being able to actually see what is going on in their retina – a powerful educational tool in its own right – and it adds an extra dimension to the depth of eye exam they feel they are receiving.
Everyone in the practice is truly committed to optomap® which is a unique clinical tool. This commitment and understanding of its potential for retinal screening has contributed to Optomap proving to be very popular with our patients. Our average patient uptake is 90%."
Davis Optometrists, Northamptonshire:
"We have experienced a high number of new patient referrals which we feel can be directly attributed to having optomap® in the practice. Patients tell their friends about Optomap and they come to the practice."
The eye test is very important to consumers when deciding which optician to use, as are service and personal attention. These latter two factors come much higher on the customer's list of priorities than special offers and price!
Staying competitive but still offering first-class clinical services, was the primary reason for Davis Optometrists to offer the optomap® Retinal Exam at their Kettering practice. Nick Carson, Partner, says
"We'd been considering buying a fundus camera for the practice when we became aware of the optomap® Retinal Examination. Like most practices we were looking for leading-edge technology that would keep us one step ahead of the competition but be able to do this in the most affordable way possible".
After assessing the products, they felt the optomap® Retinal Exam potentially had significant benefits for their practice and patients.
We were very excited about the prospect of offering optomap®, but realized we would have to change how we did some things to ensure it was a success.
Despite the excitement, Nick Carson explains:
"We had some concerns about patients paying for the service and also about the amount they would be willing to pay. A lot of our patients are over-60s NHS clients and we thought they may be reluctant to pay for an additional service. In fact that hasn't turned out to be the case. We have been astonished at the number and types of patients who have wanted to pay for optomap®. If anything the older patients see the optomap® fee as simply a replacement for the eyesight test – effectively getting two exams for the price of one! We feel our charge for the optomap® Exam offers value for money – but many patients comment that it is a lot less than they had expected. We could sustain a higher charge."
Loyalty amongst our existing customers has been enhanced and we are confident that in the patients' eyes having optomap® reinforces our commitment to provide total eye care".
Having optomap® has not just changed the patients’ perception of the practice, it has changed how Davis Optometrists market themselves to patients. "We didn't do a great deal of direct marketing of optomap® at the start. We modified our existing patient letter and included some information on optomap® with this. Coupled with the word of mouth from existing patients, we soon found we were often working to capacity with optomap®.
When the patients enter the practice, receptionists take the time to explain optomap® to them. Often the patients will have more questions to ask when we they are seen by the Optometrists – again we are happy to do this as it is a great learning process for the patients".
Revenue was not the primary motivator: "We wanted new technology to complement the clinical skills within the practice", says Nick. Has this been the reality? "We see a lot of pathology which we were never aware of before. Some need immediate attention while others just need monitoring. If we don't do an optomap® Retinal Exam now we feel we would not be doing the job properly!"