Making the Grade With Transitions

Although there's still plenty of summer left to enjoy, the fall is quickly approaching – and with it, the "back-to-school" season. As an eyecare professional, "back-to-school" is the perfect time for education and expanding your horizons; and to make sure your practice is ready, Transitions is providing a variety of resources for you and your patients.

It's never too early to use these "back-to-school" tips for educating patients and growing your practice:

  • Visit the Partners in Education section at www.transitions.com for a host of clinical papers, publications and other educational resources.
  • Create your own back-to-school point of sale materials, including appointment reminders, with the Transitions Online Marketing (TOM) Tool at www.transitionstom.com.
  • Help your youngest patients understand the value of eye health by directing them to the Eye Didn't Know That! site for interactive activities that are informative and fun.
  • Learn about reaching out to patients and communicating with other professionals with the new Facebook Guide and Transitions Lenses: Healthy Sight Professionals Facebook Page.
  • Keep an eye out for the new "What To Expect: Eye Care Communication Guide" to help you connect with your Spanish-speaking patients, available in August.

If there is something you'd like to learn more about, please e-mail us at healthyinsights@transitions.com.


"Putting Your Practice on Facebook"

New Guide and Page Help You Leverage Social Media

Today, it seems that everyone is talking about blogging, tweeting and Facebooking, with more than 150 million people worldwide now actively using Facebook alone. Recognizing the value of social media for businesses, Transitions Optical is providing a new Facebook Guide and Page for eyecare professionals to join the conversation and spread the message of healthy sight.

To help both first-time and experienced Facebook users take advantage of the site as a professional tool, Transitions has created a new guide, "Putting Your Practice on Facebook." The guide provides general information about Facebook and social media for new users, while also providing tips on connecting with other professionals and patients, and utilizing privacy features. The guide can be downloaded at www.transitions.com/fb or is available by calling Transitions Customer Service at (800) 848-1506.

Transitions has also created an eyecare professional-focused Facebook page, Transitions Lenses: Healthy Sight Professionals, providing a quick resource for Transitions Optical's programs and a forum for you to connect with other professionals. Be sure to follow us on Facebook by searching Transitions Lenses: Healthy Sight Professionals and becoming a fan of our page.

Back to Top | Next Story


Let Your Spanish-Speaking Patients Know "What to Expect"

Bilingual Communication Guide Coming Soon

Providing quality eye care begins with effective communication between you and your patients. When a language barrier exists, it can create confusion, frustration or even intimidation for patients, preventing them from having a positive experience or even receiving an accurate assessment of their eye health.

With these challenges in mind, Transitions is creating the "What To Expect: Eye Care Communications Guide," designed to help English-speaking eyecare professionals and staff members communicate with Spanish-speaking patients.

Available in August, the guide will be organized by common activities during a patient's visit, from check-in to pick-up and everything in between. Consisting of a series of 8-by-8-inch cards, the guide provides information about lens and frame selection, as well as other common discussion topics, in both English and Spanish. Key words and phrases are displayed side-by-side, so that staff members can easily point to what they want to say in English, and patients can read it in Spanish.

In addition, a pronunciation card is included in the guide for staff members who want to learn to pronounce common words and phrases.

The bilingual eye care communications guide will be available soon online or through Transitions Optical Customer Service at (800) 848-1506. For more information on multicultural programs and resources, visit the Transitions Web site.

Back to Top | Next Story


Celebrating 50 Years in the Industry!

Transitions Optical's Carol Schartner Continues Bringing Expertise to Education

Carol Schartner, education and training manager, Transitions, is celebrating her 50th year in the optical industry. Carol's vast expertise, drawing from her background as an eyecare professional and her strength as an educator, has provided quality training for professionals across the industry.

A certified paraoptometric assistant, Carol worked for more than 20 years in private practice serving as an optometric assistant. Leveraging her expertise, she began to work as a consultant, counseling eyecare professionals and training staff in both optometric practices and optical businesses. Carol served as national coordinator for Liberty Optical's PACE program and a lens sales consultant for Orcolite before joining Transitions Optical, where she has worked on education programs for 14 years.

Carol's many achievements include being named the first chairman of the American Optometric Association (AOA), Paraoptometric Section; as well as chairman of the Pennsylvania Paraoptometric Association. An ABO-approved lecturer, she has been invited to speak to eyecare professionals at local, state, regional and national optical industry meetings.

"Carol has provided valuable training to our partners as well as our staff, which then allows us to deliver higher-quality education across the board," said Linda Reynolds, business manager, commercial services.

Congratulations to Carol on 50 years of success!

Back to Top | Next Story


New Interactive Advertising Making 'Monstrous' Impact With Consumers

Transitions Optical's Monster Media WallFX Ads Now in Airports

Next time you fly, be sure to look for Transitions Optical's new interactive advertising utilizing Monster Media's WallFX technology. Now in airports across the U.S., these motion-activated advertisements engage travelers and demonstrate how Transitions® lenses work through an entertaining, memorable experience.

The unique WallFX technology allows consumers to interact with large ads projected on a wall or screen. When a consumer activates the ad using body movements, a scene appears and a pair of glasses, representing Transitions lenses, adjusts to the lighting conditions in the scene – to either clear, mid-tint or dark. Motion triggers the images to scroll, and the glasses adjust to the next scene, allowing consumers to understand how Transitions lenses adjust to changing lighting conditions.

These new ads can be seen in prominent airports around the country, including JFK International in New York, Love Airport in Dallas, and John Wayne in Los Angeles.

Back to Top | Next Story


AOA Booth Winners "Live Their Vision"

Congratulations to Kristin Chapman of Advanced Eyecare Vision Gallery, Hillsborough, N.J. and Ray Atcherson, O.D. of Bay Hills Eye Care Center, Arnold, Md., our booth drawing winners from the AOA's Optometry's Meeting, held June 24-28 at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. Each of the winners received a digital photo frame from Transitions, tying in with the national "Live Your Vision" photo contest.

Now through Sept. 15, you and your patients can enter the "Live Your Vision" contest by uploading a photo and caption to www.Transitions.com/liveyourvision that exemplifies how you live your vision in your professional or personal lives. Grand prize winners will receive a $10,000 prize and will designate a charity of their choice to receive a $10,000 donation from Transitions. Eight lucky finalists will receive $1,000.

Back to Top