Beyond the Eye Exam: What New Parent Research Means for Back-to-School Conversations

By Maria Sampalis, OD

There are certain seasons in practice that naturally create some of our best conversations with patients and families. For me, back-to-school has always been one of them.

By mid-summer, parents are already thinking about fresh starts. They’re buying school supplies, registering for sports, organizing schedules and doing everything they can to help their children succeed. As eye care professionals, we have the privilege of being part of that preparation.

As part of my ongoing collaboration with Alcon to help eye care professionals better support families during back-to-school season, I recently reviewed new national research commissioned by Alcon and conducted by Wakefield Research. The research was designed to better understand parent and student needs as families prepare for a new school year. One finding immediately stood out: parents already understand that vision matters. The opportunity isn’t convincing families that eye health is important—it’s helping them turn that belief into action.

According to the research, two in three parents feel scheduling an eye exam is very or extremely important, yet more than one in four report their child has not received a comprehensive eye exam within the past year, or ever¹. Many parents also believe a school vision screening provides the same information as a comprehensive eye exam. We know those are two very different things_².

The findings also reinforced something practical for me: the most successful back-to-school seasons often begin long before the first patient walks through the door, with simple preparation that every practice can put into place. I’ll share a few of those ideas later in this article.

Looking Beyond the Appointment

Back-to-school visits create opportunities to discuss more than prescriptions. We can talk about screen time, classroom demands, sports, extracurricular activities and visual fatigue—helping us better understand how our patients are living, not simply how they are seeing³.

As I reflected on the findings, I reached out to Dr. Carla Mack, Alcon’s Global and US Head of Professional Education and Development.

“Back-to-school is one of the few times each year when families are already thinking about helping their children succeed,” Carla shared. “When we connect comprehensive eye care to the goals parents already have—doing well in school, participating confidently in sports and navigating an increasingly digital world—the conversation becomes much more meaningful.”

She also reminded me that practices benefit when doctors and staff have practical education tools and consistent messaging that make those conversations easier.

A Natural Time to Discuss Contact Lenses

Back-to-school is also when many students begin asking about contact lenses for the first time³. Student athletes, musicians, dancers and teens looking for greater convenience often become interested as routines change⁴.

For many first-time wearers, daily disposable contact lenses such as PRECISION1® may be an appropriate option because they provide the convenience of a fresh lens every day without requiring a cleaning routine. Introducing contact lenses during this season also gives families time to build confidence before academic and extracurricular schedules become even busier.

Not every patient, however, is best served by the same modality.

For existing reusable lens wearers—or patients who prefer reusable lenses—back-to-school is an ideal time to revisit healthy wear habits, replacement schedules and whether their current modality still fits their lifestyle. Weekly replacement lenses such as PRECISION7® provide another option that allows eye care professionals to tailor recommendations to the individual patient.

As Carla noted, “The goal is to help each patient find the modality that best fits their lifestyle, visual needs and ability to wear lenses successfully.”

I couldn’t agree more. Today’s contact lens portfolio allows us to personalize recommendations for every patient.

From Insight to Action

One thing I appreciate about this research is that it doesn’t just highlight a gap – it gives us an opportunity to prepare differently for one of the busiest seasons of the year.

The practices that seem to make the biggest impact aren’t necessarily doing more—they’re preparing differently. They’re aligning their teams, refreshing patient communications, identifying opportunities for proactive outreach and making sure every member of the practice is ready to have meaningful conversations with families.

Many of these conversations can also be supported with practical resources, including Alcon’s Back-to-School Practice Toolkit, which I’ll highlight below.

As I thought about what that preparation looks like, I came back to a simple question:

If Monday morning were the official start of your back-to-school season, what would you want your team to have in place?

Monday Morning Checklist

· Six practical ways to prepare your practice before the back-to-school rush

o Review recall lists for school-age patients.

o Refresh staff talking points on comprehensive eye exams versus school screenings.

o Prepare conversations around screen time and visual demands.

o Identify patients who may be candidates for first-time contact lens discussions.

o Schedule patient emails and social content before appointment demand peaks.

o Equip the office with educational materials for families.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

To help practices prepare, Alcon has developed a Back-to-School Practice Toolkit with Wakefield survey insights, patient email templates, social media content, waiting-room materials, downloadable graphics

and conversation guides. The toolkit also supports discussions around comprehensive eye exams and appropriate contact lens options, including first-time wearers and reusable lens conversations. Explore the MyAlcon Back-to-School Professional Page for additional back-to-school insights and toolkit coming soon. Even using a few of these resources can help create more meaningful conversations with families while saving valuable time for your team.

*”Contact lens patient” is defined as having a contact lens Rx.

References:

1.Based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. parents of children ages 13-25; Alcon data on file, 2026. REF-29412 2. American Optometric Association. Comprehensive Eye Exams. Accessed May 29, 2026. https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/caring-for-your-eyes/eye-exams 3.Alcon Data on File, 2026. REF-29106 4. Shifting Focus: Generational Perspectives of Contact Lenses & Eye Care. Contact Lens Institute. Published Fall, 2025. Accessed February 6, 2026. https://www.contactlensinstitute.org/news/shiftingfocus_report/

Important information for Product PRECISION7® (serafilcon A) contact lenses: For daily wear or extended wear up to 6 nights for near/far-sightedness. Risk of serious eye problems (i.e., corneal ulcer) is greater for extended wear. In rare cases, loss of vision may result. Side effects like discomfort, mild burning or stinging may occur.

See product instructions for complete wear, care and safety information.