Practices can dispense contact lenses online

Rouses Point, NY-Imperial Optical Inc. has entered into an agreement in principle with Wolf Bioscience, a practice management and health-care IT consulting firm, to develop ECP WebSolutions, a Web site designed to give independent eye-care practices a fully customized Web site that lets patients order new contact lenses 24 hours a day. The site will be powered by Wolf Bioscience's PatientWire technology.

"We have made a significant investment in this project because we know that in order to grow our business, we need to provide our strategic partners the tools to grow their contact lens practices," said Samir Gad, CEO and president of Imperial Optical, which is the leading independent wholesale contact lens distributor in North America.

Imperial Marketing Manager David Pearce said that every 3 seconds an online search is conducted for an eye-care provider-related product or service. A recent survey of the company's practitioner base found that only one in three had a Web site and fewer than one in 10 offered online contact lenses ordering.

ECP WebSolutions is expected to become available to eye-care providers this month. To learn more, contact Pearce at 800/367-8422.

Imperial Optical also has launched a consumer rebate program, "I Care About Eyecare," in which patients who order a 1-year supply of their contact lenses through their eye-care professional can receive a $20 mail-in rebate. The program is designed to offer contact lens wearers a financial incentive to make a commitment to the safe and healthy use of contact lenses.

The offer is valid through May 31 and is accessible at http://www.imperialoptical.com/icaec.aspx.