Casey Hogan, OD, FAAO, has been treating patients for symptoms of dry eye for many years at her practice, Advanced Eyecare Professionals in Oak Lawn, Illinois. But it wasn’t until more recently that she decided to create a new business—The Chicago Dry Eye Center of Excellence, PC. She wanted to provide the latest technology, treatments, products and services for her patients who were suffering from dry eye. When Dr. Hogan relocated her primary care practice in 2014, she designated a special area of the office for dry eye care.
In this special suite, Dr. Hogan displays a variety of products for sale that she frequently recommends. Providing this type of convenience is an essential component to providing top-of-the-line care. “It’s challenging to send patients to the store or pharmacy for an over-the-counter product,” she says. “When they go, they see a number of products and tend to buy what is less expensive than what you recommended.” That was one factor that drew her to OCuSOFT, she says. “OCuSOFT is a market leader in dry eye, and you have the opportunity to offer products in the office so that you know that the patient will use what you prescribed.”
She considered three other questions as she chose her products for her dry eye area: Is it effective? Is it economical? Is it convenient? “Patients are more apt to use a product when it works, and OCuSOFT does a great job of keeping it affordable for the patient, as well,” Dr. Hogan says. “We regularly schedule dry eye patients back after three months, and sometimes they return to the office just to purchase additional supplies of these products.”Dr. Hogan says that she’s had good success with the Retaine® line of products. “Evaporative dry eye is the most common to manage,” she says, and she regularly recommends Retaine® MGD for these patients. She adds that Retaine MGD is a preservative-free, oil-based option for meibomian gland dysfunction. “It’s hard for us to keep those stocked. The patients notice a difference when they use it.”
The OCuSOFT® Lid Scrub® Original has been a go-to product for a long time, Dr. Hogan says. “It’s mild for managing any lid disease and when you have to remove debris and oil, and it has a non-irritating formula.” She reaches for the Lid Scrub Plus for severe cases like blepharitis, and The Oust™ Demodex® Cleanser is a foam that some of her patients prefer. She also recommends the OCuSOFT Baby™ Eyelid and Eyelash Cleanser for parents to use on children with blepharitis or blocked tear ducts. She’s even had patients who have used this gentle, tear-free product on their pets.
One of latest initiatives at The Chicago Dry Eye Center of Excellence is creating an online shopping area for patients to order
their dry eye products. “We try to maintain our pricing to stay competitive, in addition to adding the convenience of shopping online.”
Her office manager Jennifer Pankow is working closely with their vendor companies like OCuSOFT to get the images and other information needed to build this online shop. Dr. Hogan appreciates that the company is there for her and her staff to keep everyone on the same page and educated. That’s important because when patients asks staff members questions about products, Dr. Hogan wants to make sure they know exactly how to respond.
