EYECARE Independent Practices Benefit By Andrew Karp Monday, October 19, 2015 12:26 AM RELATED CONTENT Industrial Strength Eyewear: A Safe Bet for ECPs Out-of-the-Box Strategies Building Profit for ECPs A Lab Dedicated to Safety Eyewear A Self-Service Approach Safety Eyewear: Workplace Fashion According to the 2014 Vision Council ECP Report, 71.6 percent of ophthalmologists, 70.4 percent of optometrists and 62.5 percent of opticianry chains report that their independent practices sell Z87 safety eyewear that meets workplace requirements. At the grassroots level, ECPs capitalize on the safety eyewear business in a number of ways: by working directly with local employers to set up safety eyewear programs; by servicing walk-in safety customers; and by linking up with their wholesale lab’s safety eyewear programs. Precision Optical, an optical shop in Tuscaloosa, Miss., works with employers who contact the shop seeking help with their employee safety eyewear programs. According to Shea Zizzi, optical manager, Precision reviews each company’s needs and, depending on the requirements, will help set up guidelines for pricing and the type of safety frames needed. Employees visit the shop for frame fittings and billing usually goes direct to the employer. Precision’s safety business has grown by word-of-mouth recommendations, said Zizzi. Walk-in customers and local employers requesting safety eyewear for employees account for most of the safety business handled by 20/20 Vision, an optometric optical practice in Pearl, Miss. According to Dan Ellis, office manager, employees will come to the practice to purchase the eyewear products that meet the cost and safety requirements set by their employers. 20/20 Vision and Precision Optical both send their safety jobs to their wholesale lab, Superior Optical, which is certified to produce ANSI compliant jobs for the safety marketplace. Charlton Optical in Charlton, Mass., has seen its safety eyewear business increase this year, said Lynda Schultz, office manager for this “friendly optical practice serving the local community.” Charlton solicits safety business by proactively reaching out to employers with information on its safety eyewear, including Hilco’s industrial frames that meet the needs of its customers in industries like fiber optics and energy as well as smaller machine shops. About half of the safety customers will opt for upgrades over the basic safety frames approved by their employers, said Schultz.