With almost half a million contact lens customers and hundreds of thousands of visitors monthly to www.aclens.com, eye doctors all over the world may soon notice a more informed patient coming from this pioneering forum
Millions of people continue to shape the internet through an almost endless stream of user generated content including blogs and social shopping sites. A newly emerging area of user-supplied information is helping consumers make better vision care choices.
One company, AC Lens (www.aclens.com), a leading online contact lens retailer, has designed their site with the patient’s education in mind. Alongside contact lenses and accessories, the sites Contact Lens Health section www.aclens.com/contact-lens-health.asp provides consumer product reviews, an “Ask The Doctor” feature, and consumer forums where individuals can share experiences with lens wearers all over the world.
“In the past, most patients were prescribed contact lenses with no input on brand, type, or other important issues relating to their vision health,” said Peter Clarkson M.D., CEO of AC Lens. “We hope offering extensive user-driven information will create a more informed consumer, better able to understand and make informed decisions at their doctor’s office,” said Clarkson.
This tactic is catching on as users worldwide are embracing the interaction. AC Lens has received over 30,000 posts on their vision care forums, numerous reviews on individual contact lenses, and thousands of questions submitted via “Ask The Doctor.”
Christina Dietrich O.D., a practicing optometrist for more than 10 years, is one of the practitioners who respond to the “Ask The Doctor” section on ACLens.com. Dietrich has helped thousands of consumers receive quick responses to everyday contact lens problems along with providing additional information the patient can share with their own eye doctor.
“Answering questions for AC Lens has been an enlightening experience for me,” said Dietrich. “I have gained insights that have helped in my ‘real world’ practice.”
Spending company resources on user built content was a no-brainer for the doctor owned company. With almost half a million contact lens customers and hundreds of thousands of visitors monthly to www.aclens.com, eye doctors all over the world may soon notice a more informed patient coming from this pioneering forum.
“Combining our retail services with patient feedback has been a tremendous success,” said Clarkson. “We’ve really created a win-win situation for the consumer.”
To comment on this article, or to advertise with us, or to subscribe to New York’s favorite Pan-African weekly investigative newspaper, or to send us news tips, please call (212) 481-7745 or contact [email protected]
Our motto: “Speaking Truth To Empower.”
