How to easily take the mystery out of eyewear lens selection

Wellness_interactive_lens_guide
BENEFITS 101
image of this article's author, Matt MacDonald
Matt MacDonald
Vice President, Marketing & Strategy

Lens talk made easy for you

Americans spent more than $40 billion on vision care products and services in the 12 months ending September 2016, according to the Vision Council. Of that, nearly $13 billion was invested in lenses alone, making them the single largest spending category in vision care.

With that much money on the line, choice is good, right? Maybe not if there are too many choices with too little information to instill confidence in your decisions. When you’re sitting with your optician discussing lens options, it can be downright paralyzing … or is it polarizing? We mean this literally, since polarized lenses are one of many lens options for members. It’s time they saw Behind the Lens.

Plentiful does not have to mean perplexing

Behind the Lens is an online interactive digital lens guide that’s a simple, straightforward way to share our vast knowledge of lenses with members.

It’s easy to use on both desktop and mobile devices, and lets you walk through the various forms of available lens technology and enhancements you might consider, with language that’s easy to understand. The best time for members to review the guide is before they start shopping for new eyewear. It’s a simple way to offer guidance they need to feel confident about getting the most out of their benefits.

Getting clarity on the basics

We take what can be complicated and make it clear. The average consumer could have dozens of choices for just 1 pair of lenses. Consider that The Vision Council tracks the sales of 7 kinds of added lens qualities, such as thinness, UV coating and scratch resistance. EyeMed’s lens catalog has hundreds of options so network providers can prescribe what they think is best.

Bifocals or progressives? Plastic, polycarbonate or high index material? High-definition, anti-reflective or both? And what about added choices and technologies like blue light filtering and photochromic treatments (which changes from clear to dark in sunlight). Behind the Lens is here to help!

Lens options made interesting

Behind the Lens is a visually dynamic, innovative and easy way for members to learn more about the best lenses for their vision needs, step by step, right down to the extra features.

Users start with 3 categories to explore:

  • Lens types
  • Lens materials
  • Lens enhancements

They choose a category and then click through to learn more about each option, its technological advancements and how the technology is intended to help people see life to the fullest.

For example, did you know that high index lenses are great for people with stronger prescriptions because they’re thinner and lighter than typical lenses? And if you don’t know who invented bifocals, check out the Behind the Lens guide. Hint: there’s a $100 bill with the answer.

Check out the “Share This” feature on eyesiteonwellness.com. It makes it easy to help others learn about protecting their eyes and sight. They don’t need to be an EyeMed member to learn more about lenses choices and eye health.

It’s eye-opening employee health communication

Research shows employees who have easy access to health benefits education are more likely to consider their workplace a very good place to be. Unfortunately, a study by the Society for Human Resource Management shows only 22% of human resources professionals “strongly agree” that their organizations communicate employee benefits in a way that very effectively informs employees.

Communicating benefits doesn’t have to be difficult. Why not let EyeMed’s new Behind The Lens tool and other great consumer content featured at eyesiteonwellness.com do some of the communicating for you?

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