The contents of this article are informational only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. This editorial presents the views and experiences of the author and does not reflect the opinions or recommendations of the publisher of Optometry 360.
By Maria Sampalis, OD
When looking to start a dry eye practice, it’s important to understand that building your patient base takes time. Gradually adding patients to your dry eye services is essential for long-term success. The demographics of your current patient population play a key role in determining which equipment and procedures will be most beneficial for your practice.
I started by treating patients with mild dry eye symptoms—those who came in with basic discomfort. I spent time reading articles, attending conferences, and discussing best practices with colleagues to better understand how to incorporate dry eye care into my practice. Implementing dry eye management is relatively easy—it’s not a heavy lift.
If you already have a slit lamp, you can easily assess, diagnose, and treat dry eye disease. Many doctors overlook how simple it is to start small and gradually build from there. Begin by diagnosing patients, prescribing an appropriate drop or treatment plan, and scheduling follow-up visits. Once patients start using prescribed treatments, they’ll continue to return for ongoing care.
On average, dry eye patients return 2 to 3 times per year. At about $50 per visit, that’s roughly $150 per patient annually. With just 500 patients, this can significantly increase your practice’s yearly revenue—all from straightforward visits that also improve patient outcomes.
This could add $300,000 a year in additional services in the first year if you take into account $75,000 from insurance visits and revenue from products such as heating pads, spray, vitamins, and intense pulsed light (IPL) services. After the first visit, IPL will be about $400 every 6 months, but within the first year, you can pay off this equipment.
You don’t want to send your patients elsewhere for over-the-counter artificial tears, glasses, or contacts. Doing so risks losing them to other providers or online retailers. Instead, position yourself as the authoritative voice in eye care—the expert your patients trust and rely on. Many ODs have built scleral lens practices within the dry eye clinic. There are so many different things you can do.
Start by offering small, in-office products or services. Patients willing to spend beyond their insurance coverage are highly valuable—they help grow your practice and justify future investments in new equipment and advanced treatments.
The first step is to nurture the patients already in your practice—those who can benefit from expanded dry eye care. From there, you can attract new patients seeking higher-level services that they may not be receiving elsewhere.
Maria Sampalis, OD, graduated from New England College of Optometry in 2007. She is the Founder of Corporate Optometry on Facebook, which has more than 33,000 members. Her social media network reaches more than 70,000 eye care professionals. She was Young OD of the Year in Rhode Island in 2016, Vision Monday’s Influential Woman in Optometry in 2019, and World Council of Optometry Eye Care Hero 2020, Women in Optometry Theia Award 2024. Dr. Sampalis practices in Rhode Island.
Disclosures: She is a consultant and speaker for various companies in the industry, including Barti, Harrow, and Lenz Therapeutics.
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