WASHINGTON, D.C.—To generate greater consumer familiarity with contact lens health and safety year-round in the U.S. and Canada, the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) has launched The EASY Way (Eyes, Awareness, Safety and You) program. EASY Way includes simplified wear and care tips, attention-grabbing infographics, and companion digital resources for eyecare professionals and staff to use in their practices and help aid in their patient communications. A view of all the resources in the program are posted at EASYWayProgram.org.

At the center of the program are three easy steps to healthy, comfortable contact lens wear:

1. Think Clean. Wash and dry your hands every time before touching your lenses or eyes. If you wear reusable lenses, always clean and disinfect them with each removal, and clean your case as directed. Keep your lenses and case away from any type of water, which can contain harmful microorganisms.

2. Remember Fresher Is Better. Wear your contacts for as long as your eyecare professional says, replacing them with fresh lenses on schedule. Only wear daily disposable lenses once, and always rely on new solution for reusable lens disinfection and storage. Replace your case at least every three months.

3. Trust Your Eye Doctor. Listen to your eyecare professional, who has specialized training. If you have any questions, contact their office—they care about your health and great vision.

“The approximately 50 million contact lens wearers in North America often have good intentions to follow instructions from their ECPs. With so much else happening in their lives, people may forget at times—that’s human nature,” said Rick Weisbarth, OD, CLI board chairman.

Weisbarth said, “The EASY Way is designed to help ECPs present wear and care tips in a simplified, interesting and memorable manner that breaks through the noise. We encourage all optometry and ophthalmology practices in the U.S. and Canada to take full advantage of this no-cost program and its downloadable tools. This collaboration should facilitate health and safety conversations with current and new contact lens wearers alike.”

New research conducted by CLI among U.S. adults ages 18-54 found The EASY Way method to be well understood, memorable and easy to follow.

The survey also revealed additional consumer insights that show adherence to contact lens wear and care instructions may be on par with how people interact with other newly purchased products. For instance, while about three in four respondents will read a new product’s instructions, a fair number will not follow them if they are too difficult to understand (28 percent), they misplaced the instruction sheet (25 percent) or find themselves in a hurry (31 percent).

In another eye opening finding, 58 percent of respondents admit to figuring out how to use a new product by trial-and-error.

Ensuring that wear-and-care instructions can be found on the web is important. According to the survey, 63 percent of respondents search online for information about how to use a new product, while three in five people use online search to discover new information that may improve a currently owned product.

“Approximately four in five respondents want their doctor to alert them to new information that could impact their health. Another 71 percent want their doctor to reinforce best practices that promote healthy habits,” said Dr. Weisbarth. “Likewise, people are open to learning where they could improve; three in four respondents want to be told if they may be doing something wrong that could affect their health. The EASY Way opens the door for ECPs to have these conversations—something their patients expect during an office visit or even through telemedicine.”

ECPs and staff who visit EASYWayProgram.org have access to multiple downloadable assets:





• A series of infographics that highlight all three EASY Way wear and care tips, including static and animated versions. These are designed to be used on in-office display screens or walls, on practices’ social media accounts, and in other communications to patients (e.g., newsletters and emails).

• Templates for use with EHR systems, helping to integrate The EASY Way into existing new wearer and patient recall communications.

• A feature story designed for use with local news media, which CLI will also distribute to newspapers across the U.S. in the coming weeks.

CLI is encouraging participation from the broadest possible spectrum of eyecare professionals who interact with contact lens wearers—extending beyond optometrists and ophthalmologists to also embrace opticians, technicians, optical shop representatives and administrators.

Practice staff can assess their EASY Way knowledge on the site. Once they review the material and pass a fun, easy and fast online quiz, they can print or digitally display a badge and certificate of achievement to show co-workers and patients their know-how.

“The benefits of contact lenses become even more powerful when patients follow proper wear and care procedures. That takes commitment from manufacturers like CLI members, from tens of thousands of ECPs and their staff, and from wearers themselves. We’re enthusiastic about the potential for The EASY Way to help keep wear and care in the spotlight,” noted Dr. Weisbarth.

The Contact Lens Institute advances the latest innovations in safe and effective contact lens and lens care products and services that provide unique benefits to patients while satisfying the evolving needs of eyecare professionals. CLI undertakes activities that properly assess, enhance, promote and balance contact lens and lens care industry welfare and growth, including the safe use of products in the marketplace.

Its members include Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision, and Johnson & Johnson Vision. For more information, visit contactlensinstitute.org.