On June 24th, Jim Winnick, OD, headlined day two of UUniversity’s inaugural Photochromic Fest, presenting on how he’s built a successful light-reactive lens business by dispensing from the chair. His presentation was so widely requested, we partnered with UUniversity to pull it from the event and post it here with a full transcript.

​“If at first you don’t succeed…” quickly emerged as the theme of our recent conversation with Stephanie Armstrong, an optician at Eastchase Eye Experts in Fort Worth, Texas. After decades of trying to find photochromic lenses that were responsive and comfortable, she’d abandoned the idea of ever finding ones that would work for her. Until she tried SunSync Elite Light-Reactive Lenses.

On June 24th and 25th, UUniversity will host its first ever Photochromic Fest. Here's a look at what this one-of-a-kind, two-day event has in store for attendees.

As we age, ocular changes in the eye interfere with our ability to adapt to changing light conditions. Until recently, attempts to alleviate adaptation difficulties with lenses have come up short. However, groundbreaking, new technology may finally reveal a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel for patients suffering the effects of reduced light and dark adaptation capabilities.

Who says the best can’t get better? The two light-reactive lenses that sparked an industry shakeup are at it again. SunSync Elite and SunSync Elite XT have been reimagined to offer wearers better functional performance and personal appearance.

Familiar is nice, right? It makes us feel comfortable, even safe. But familiar doesn’t always mean better. Think of those old sneakers you can’t bear to part with. They’re spotted with holes, cling to wafer thin soles, and lost any kind of functional support sometime around the last election. Still, you reach for them on a daily basis despite nagging ankle pain, sore shins, and a left big toe that goes numb after traversing a distance greater than your street corner.
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Sometimes recommending a light-reactive lens can be like reaching for those old kicks – more a product of familiarity than performance. And like a worn-down pair of shoes, dated, conventional photochromics can leave the wearer wanting and needing a lot more. Fortunately, there’s no need to continue dispensing them.

Now you can easily provide an enhanced practice experience by offering new SunSync Light-Reactive Lenses patient brochure that promote informed discussions and confident purchase decisions.
 
The new brochure, in an updated booklet format, educates patients on the problem of slow fade-back speed, introduces them to the technology that overcomes it, and helps them easily match their lifestyle to the perfect SunSync Light-Reactive Lens.  

In 2019 SunSync Elite revolutionized the light-reactive lens category with its groundbreaking fade-back speed. To illustrate how much faster it was, we shared a video comparing SunSync Elite to the industry’s top-selling photochromic at the time.
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Later that year, the top-selling brand released a new photohcromic with new technology. So, we wanted to see how SunSync Elite stacked up against it. 

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Light-reactive (or photochromic) lenses are a great choice for a wide variety of patients and they come with a boatload of benefits. With this in mind, it can be easy to get carried away when recommending them to patients and overpromise. As with any lens, it’s essential to present them accurately and honestly to set the foundation for a better wearer experience. After all, if a patient understands the reason behind a performance characteristic, they’re less likely to perceive it as a product flaw and call you with a complaint…or worse, a redo request.
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With that in mind, here are five photochromic faux pas to avoid when recommending a light-reactive lens to a patient: