Dispensary App Snaps: Dispensary By John Sailer and Andrew Karp Monday, August 18, 2014 12:05 AM RELATED CONTENT Apps of My Eye What ECPs Are Saying About Apps VM Microsite Delivers 'Intelligent Office' Techniques and Technologies App Snaps: Exam Lane App Snaps: Practice Systems App Snaps: Waiting Room App Snaps: Outside the Office otto (One Touch To Optical) “Patients get a clearer understanding of their condition and treatment.” Why I like it: “I use the Eyemaginations app with otto to show patients the anatomy of the eye. They get a clearer understanding of their condition and treatment. It’s a great way to bring it home on a personal level. We’re also able to push out information about glaucoma and other conditions. Using otto elevates the patients’ perception of our practice. If someone sees value in your diagnosis, it could increase their compliance.” —Matt Alpert, OD, Alpert Vision Care, Woodland Hills, Calif. Developer: VSP Optics Group What it is: A virtual optical assistant that elevates patient experience though technology—at the point of care. otto performs customized measurements for advanced digital lenses as the frame is worn by the patient. Seamlessly builds claims as you take your patient through the dispensing process. What it does: Facilitates patient check-in; easily create new profiles and look up existing patients. Provides Ishihara and Amsler Grid screenings. ECPs can view today’s patients, verify eligibility with VSP, create new profiles, and access patient records from OfficeMate. In the dispensary, patients can look up and compare frame styles, save favorites and share pictures through social media. Dispensers can demonstrate and promote premium lens options and capture patient photos and take individualized measurements. Staff can submit VSP claims and private pay orders seamlessly, with real time out of pocket cost. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/OttoApp OptikamPad “It takes into consideration head placement.” Why I like it: “OptikamPad takes very accurate measurements for personalized progressives, and it takes into consideration head placement. It’s great for taking PDs, too. I use it on folks who wear single vision lenses, especially for optical center heights.” —David Doebler, optician/co-owner, Eye Peek, Lake Placid, N.Y. Developer: Optikam What it is: A complete eyewear dispensing assistant for iPad users. What it does: Allows user to capture all eyewear measurements using one single frontal image precisely and quickly. Optikam’s patented EY-stick lets dispenser capture precise measurements if they are not at the same eye level as the patient. Captures monocular PDs, seg heights, pantoscopic tilt, rear vertex distance, wrap, A, B, ED, DBL. Frame selection module enables customers to see how they look in different eyewear. Side-by-side image comparison exposes the customer to frames of different styles. Email and Facebook features provide quick second opinions. Lens demos module allows dispensers to demonstrate the advantages of premium lens options in a quick and interactive way. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/PadMeasure Transitions Viewer “It is an easy way to show my patients the real value of Transitions lenses." Why I like it: “It is an easy way to show my patients the real value of Transitions lenses and how what I prescribed for them in the exam room will enhance their visual needs by giving them the best for their eyes. Patients love it because it is another high tech instrument that we use in our office to give them a total ‘wow’ experience from the time they walk in the door to when they leave.” —Eric White, OD, Complete Family Vision Care, San Diego, Calif. Developer: Transitions Optical What it is: A virtual product demonstration tool that emulates the experience of wearing Transitions lenses. What it does: Using 360x180 panorama images, Transitions Viewer immerses users in the experience of wearing Transitions lenses, allowing them to see how the lenses change and enhance vision in different real-world scenes, and how the lenses look on the person wearing them. A “Help me decide” feature allows users to prioritize the photochromic lens benefits that are most important to them, such as “reduce eyestrain from indoor lighting” or “darken while in the car,” to find out which adaptive lens is the best fit for their lifestyle. Where to get it: Available online, www.Transitions.com/Viewer, the tool can be accessed from a laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile device allowing for pre-appointment and in-office product education. i.Demo “It helps me differentiate the practice.” Why I like it: “I brand my practice exclusively with Zeiss, and i.Demo lets me show patients pretty much anything about Zeiss lenses. It helps me differentiate the practice. My favorite demonstration is a night driving simulation. Patients can see how much less glare they’re going to get from a Zeiss lens. —Alan Goldstone, OD, Dr. Goldstone Vision Centers, Long Beach, Calif. Developer: Carl Zeiss Vision What it is: A consultation app designed exclusively for selected Zeiss opticians. What it does: Provides visual support during patient consultations. Interactively assesses the patient’s visual needs and illustrates available options for Zeiss precision spectacle lenses. The end result is the optician can provide the patient with the best possible lens choice for their individual needs. The i.Demo app includes an optional “profile” feature that allows the ECP to capture the patient’s needs and the recommended lens solution that results. The profile and recommendations can then be printed out. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/Demo-i Nikon Lenswear's Imagine-i “It provides a distinct advantage for brick-and-mortar practices.” Why I like it: “It provides a distinct advantage for brick-and-mortar practices as it shows patients the obvious visual difference in corridor width between standard progressives, and the Nikon line of progressives. The Imagine-i does it best when you view real life images through the iPad’s camera lens and see what a wider Nikon corridor gives you visually. It shows patients it’s worth paying for.” —Alex Thayer, optician/owner, Look Optical, Maynard, Mass. Developer: Nikon Lenswear What it is: A Nikon lens demonstrator that provides information about eye conditions and helps eyecare professionals choose which Nikon lenswear technology best satisfies each patient’s visual needs. What it does: Uses interactive illustrations and videos that provide support for dispenser’s explanation and allow patients to feel the difference first-hand during lens demonstrations. 3D movies make Nikon lens features easy to understand; hands-on animations make complex concepts easy to understand; real-life simulations allow the wearer to feel what seeing through the lens is like. Helps educate patients about vision correction. Offers detailed features and benefits for each lens design and category of lenses. Visualizes whether a lens is thinner, sharper or cleaner. Provides specific explanations for first-time wearers to ensure maximum adaptation and enhance the purchasing experience. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/NikoniImagine Spectangle HD “We can show the patient how the lens will look with through their prescription.” Why I like it: “We can show the difference between a standard progressive, a premium progressive and a personalized progressive, like Hoya ID MyStyle. That has helped us sell more ID MyStyle. We can show the patient how the lens will look with through their prescription. We can also demonstrate how the lens looks with and without anti-glare coating or Transitions.” —Brandi Sorrell, ophthalmic technician, Edgewood Eye Center, Edgewood, Ky. Developer: Hoya Vision Care What it is: All-in-one measurement app and ordering tool for Hoya’s MyStyle lenses. What it does: Addresses many of the drawbacks required to prescribe personalized progressives, including time necessary to take frame and fitting measurements, equipment investment and ease of operating measuring devices. Allows the optician to take photos using the iPad camera, make adjustments on the screen, enter in Rx data and lifestyle preferences then push a button to send the order to the lab. Spectangle measurements include pantoscopic tilt, face form angle, back vertex distance, PD, seg height, A, B, DBL. Spectangle is also useful for correcting common frame fitting errors. If the frame is setting improperly on the patient’s face, it is easily detected and easily corrected while the patient is still in the office. Reduces redos. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/HoyaSpec Smart Mirror Mobile “It’s nice to have so many functions in a single app." Why I like it: “The lens demos are really nice. You can dial in patient’s actual Rx, can show difference between poly and 1.67. You can show them the difference between a standard and a premium progressive. Some 63 percent of the progressives we sell are digital/free-form, and having this app has helped boost those sales. “It’s also nice to have so many functions in a single app. My opticians aren’t skipping around as much from one app to another. And it’s not proprietary, so you can sell what you want.” —Kyle Kravick, retail manager, Davis Duehr Dean, Madison, Wis. Developer: ABS Inc. What it is: Versatile dispensing tool that offers virtual try-on, digital centration, premium lens simulations. What it does: Lets Rx patients see themselves in their eyewear selection and compare several frames at once. Takes up to four pictures or short videos which can be emailed or posted directly to patient’s Facebook page directly from the app. Images can be enlarged and viewed side by side and from different angles. Measures monocular PD, near PD, seg height, pantoscopic tilt, wrap and back vertex. Interactive augmented reality, animations and images let patients visualize how they will see through their finished lenses, including AR, polarized, photochromic, aspherics and multifocals. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/MirrorMobile Only the frame selection is available from iTunes; other features (lens simulations and measurements) requires a login, password and measuring kit for iPad that has to be purchased directly from ABS. Lens Wizard Developer: Shamir Insight What it is: A dispensing tool featuring a questionnaire for patients that determines what lenses best suit their day-to-day vision needs, based on their lifestyle. What it does: Suggests primary as well as second and third pair options for the patient, which provides an opportunity to discuss why additional pairs are not only beneficial but necessary for optimal vision. Where to get it: ECPs can access the HTML code for the Lens Wizard on Shamir’s website, www.shamirlens.com, by selecting the ‘Lens Wizard’ option under the ‘Professionals’ tab. With the HTML code, the ECP can add the Lens Wizard to their website for patient convenience and provide important feedback as part of the exam process. Practices can also access the Lens Wizard directly from www.shamirlens.com, which allows ECPs without a website to utilize this tool. The Lens Wizard can be found under ‘Select Your Lens’ under the ‘Our Products’ tab. OptiTab by Briot Developer: Optikam What it is: Multi-functional tool for measurement of centration, PD, seg height, pantoscopic tilt, vertex distance and frame wrap. Features an iPad in a custom sled that contains a camera and connectivity enabling the functionalities. The EY Stick technology (included) provides data to customize patient’s eyewear. What it does: All measurements are obtained with just one photo, and the device’s portability allows home visits or on-site service. Also used for lens demonstration and frame selection. Features a virtual reality mode so patients can see how different lens styles and options will perform in a variety of environments. Transmission of measurement data directly into Briot edging systems. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/OptiTabTool (must purchase custom sled/EY Stick package for functionality). Kodak Lens IDS (Intelligent Dispensing Software Developer: Signet Armorlite What it is: A three-part software program of Frame, Lens and Measure that is available on an iPad Air or an iPad with Retina display (4th generation). What it does: The Frame section compares and shares the patient’s frame options. The Lens section assists ECPs in educating patients about the visual benefits of Kodak Lenses, coatings and materials. The Measure section helps ECPs easily and accurately capture and collect patient’s optical measurements. Where to get it: The initial Frame section can be purchased on the Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/KodakLensIDS Customers purchase the additional Lens and Measure sections from Signet Armorlite, Inc. Shamir Spark Developer: Shamir Insight What it is: A 3D ophthalmic measuring device which utilizes an iPad’s camera and calculates all of the patients’ frame measurements based on one picture without any measuring clips. What it does: Conveniently and accurately measures customers for frames. Shamir Spark processes the image, and handles the comprehensive task of measuring and calculating all the necessary measurements, including fitting height, panoramic angle, pantoscopic tilt, mono PD and vertex distance. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/ShamirMeasurements Nikon Capture-i “It replaces the ruler and marker, and that seems to impress customers.” Why I like it: “It gives the practice a more contemporary feel. It replaces the ruler and marker, and that seems to impress customers.”—Anita Ohriker, optician, Eyes on the World, New York City Developer: Nikon Lenswear What it is: An iPad-based optical measurement system designed to be used in combination with Nikon’s measurement unit that allows eyecare professionals to measure of frame parameters needed to order Nikon’s advanced customized progressive lenses. What it does: Measures the main frame parameters necessary when fitting customized lenses. Enables ECPs to take easily and quickly take accurate measurements; infinite optics technology allows for measurement at 50cm without convergence. Takes accurate measurements regardless of the light intensity. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/CapiNikon Hoya HVC Viewer (Hoya Vision Consultant Viewer) Developer: Hoya Vision Care What it is: iPad app that allows patients to “experience” the benefits of their Hoya lenses before purchasing them. What it does: Offers the optician a choice of six modules from which to select an appropriate type of Hoya lens: progressive lenses, single vision lenses, indoor lenses, AR coatings, polarized lenses and photochromic lenses. The patient holds up the iPad and through the camera can look around the room and see the benefits Hoya lenses will provide as they would experience them. Spectacle lens wearers will be able to simply experience the difference in performance between various types of lenses in real life situations. The HVC Viewer Sensor measures the amount of blue light and UV radiation that may affect a patient’s eyes and clearly demonstrate to them how they can protect their eyes. Where to get it: Apple iTunes App Store: bit.ly/HoyaView