Many patients do not have stellar eyelid hygiene habits, even though clean eyelids play a pivotal role in preventing conditions such as blepharitis, demodex infestations and dry eye symptoms. Recognizing this gap in patient care, Cheryl Chapman, OD, FIAOMC, FAAO, Dipl ABO, of Gretna Vision Source in Gretna, Nebraska, and Christopher Wolfe, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO, initiated a conversation that led to the development of Peeq Pro, a forward-thinking approach to maintaining eyelid health.
What started as a dialogue around a particularly severe case of demodex evolved into a comprehensive system designed to help patients and practitioners alike revolutionize eyelid hygiene, as well as a progressive approach for optometrists to retail products.
AN IDEA IS BORN
In a Women In Optometry podcast, Dr. Chapman details how the two developed Peeq Pro after discussions on how little patients knew about eyelid hygiene. Dr. Chapman compares it to the way that everyone in the dentist’s office will remind patients about preventive maintenance. “Dentists for decades have been teaching us to brush our teeth and that helps avoid cavities that helps avoid gum disease,” says Dr. Chapman. “If we take better care of our eyelids, we’re going to have fewer problems with blepharitis, fewer problems with demodex, fewer problems with meibomian gland dysfunction, fewer problems with dry eye disease and so on.”
With their mutual interest in dry eye disease and its related conditions, Dr. Chapman and Dr. Wolf decided to focus on developing a product line to help patients. However, Peeq Pro became even bigger.
It started with two approaches: an ultrasonic cleaner and an eyelid cleanser that didn’t have that strong tea tree oil smell. “The goal was to create a pleasant-smelling eyelid cleanser that patients would look forward to using, similar to how people enjoy the minty freshness of brushing their teeth. By improving the scent of the Peeq Pro tea tree cleanser, we aimed to create a product where patients would be more inclined to adopt this crucial step in their daily routine.”
Beyond the cleanser, they also developed the Peeq Waiva, a patent-pending device that functions as an “ultrasonic toothbrush” for the eyelids. This tool is designed to remove makeup, biofilm and other debris from the eyelid margins. While not every patient needs a device of this caliber, it provides an advanced option for those looking to take their eyelid hygiene to the next level, she says.
The doctors opted to offer a tiered approach to eyelid hygiene: patients can start with the cleanser, and as needed, incorporate additional therapies such as warm compresses, fish oil supplements or the Peeq Waiva.
“This allows for a flexible, personalized treatment plan based on the patient’s needs and level of commitment,” says Dr. Chapman.
LEANING INTO THE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE TREND
One of the key components of Peeq Pro is the subscription box service. This system ensures that patients can consistently access the products they need to maintain their eyelid health, without the hassle of running out or forgetting to reorder. Doctors can offer the first box in their office, after which patients can sign up via a QR code for regular deliveries. Peeq Pro fulfills these orders, shipping directly to the patients, while also sharing revenue with the prescribing doctors.
“We’re totally agnostic to whatever brand [of supplementary items],” Dr. Chapman says. “If a doctor wants to use a certain brand of fish oil or if they want to use a certain brand of artificial tears, that’s up to the doctor. We’re not telling them what to do, we’re just support for them.”
To aid in this, Peeq Pro representatives make follow-up calls to patients at critical intervals, reaching out a week after the initial order to ensure that patients are using their products correctly and answer any questions. A month later, they check in again to prompt reorders and help patients maintain consistency. These calls address common barriers to compliance, such as confusion over product use, and keep patients on track with their treatment plans.
Dr. Chapman has a series of preset boxes available through her office. “I do a lot of myopia management, so we have an orthoK box. We have a scleral lens patient box. Peek Pro also offers white-labeled high-end cosmetic, including a hyaluronic acid product, a peptide cream and a sun cream. So we can use some of that for our IPL patients post-treatment to go home with, and our aesthetician can select from face masks and skin care.” If patients want to add one of the luxury skincare products that Peek Pro offers to their “regular” box,, they can mention that to the representative.
FINANCIAL BENEFITS
For doctors, Peeq Pro offers more than just an opportunity to improve patient care—it’s also a way to increase revenue. “With reimbursements from vision care plans continuing to decline, adding dry eye therapies and eyelid hygiene products to a practice can help increase per-patient revenue by $100 to $150. When patients stick to their prescribed treatments, doctors benefit from repeat purchases,” she says..
It was critical to Dr. Chapman and Dr. Wolfe to keep practice owners as a major stakeholder and voice in the process. “We wanted to include doctors because with Dr. Wolfe and I diidn’t want doctors to be excluded. When you’re doing something so big as to try and change human behavior, we understand that patients trust their doctors,” says Dr. Chapman. Plus, patients are going to buy these products somewhere; it might as well be through their doctor.
