I agree. The problem as I see it is numerous. They consist of:
1. Cost (People don't have 3-5 thousand dollars to spend on laser treatments).
2. FEAR: Many people freak at the idea of a laser cutting and/or zapping their eyes.
3. Lack of marketing skills by the LVC centers.
4. Don't Care: Many people are used to and probably prefer to wear eye glasses (hides age and sometimes make them look better).
5. The strong lobby of the eye glass industry (they are very large and will not give up easily-think about every individual company (eye wear manufacturers, lens manufacturer, raw material suppliers) that would be out of business. Hell, the way they advertise on TV, one would think laser vision doesn't even exist. (Sexy Specs).
Some of the solutions might be:
1. Advertise heavily about payment plans (discounts,etc)
2. Excimer manufacturers and LVC should push for medical insurance coverage with their congressman and the insurance industry in general.
3. Implement education programs and the benefits of laser surgery at the adolescent school level.
4. Spend a few bucks and have advertisements with YAHOO, Silicon Investor and the Internet chat areas and providers (AOL, Start, Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc etc).
5. Start stock issuance programs to patients in some form of a discount plan (keep the same cost for the procedure) but announce that for every eye procedure, you receive 100 shares of LCAV or 25 shares of LVCI etc, etc. (People always like to think they're getting a deal).
There are many imaginative ways to push this procedure which would generate profits for everyone. |
