I wish it didn’t take a pandemic for this to be true, but consumers and patients have embraced a new appreciation for all things “modern.” What is “modern” exactly? Well, characteristics would include descriptions such as “new,” “contemporary,” “recent,” “up to the minute,” “innovative” or “technology oriented.”

These can apply to fashion or product creation or home design or a retail store, a website or a brand.

And, to bring it around to health care, it could apply to provider practices, care settings, professional encounters. But here’s the point: “modern” descriptions sometimes apply to eyecare practices and sometimes, well, they don’t.

And that’s the rationale of our cover feature on Modern Optics this month. We tackled it earlier this year in our Jan./Feb. issue in the “How Brick is Learning to Click’ cover topic and we’ve examined this in prior years, too.

But, then, this year and last year have changed many things.

There’s an urgency to communicating “modern” and being perceived as “modern” not just because it’s a chic label. But because an increasing number of patients who have changed so many habits over the past year, the pandemic’s impact has also begun to redefine their views of the health care providers they want to see.

Because learning to embrace new digital technology can help practices be efficient and improve their bottom lines. And also because enhanced digital tools are expanding the opportunities for providing great eyecare and optical service in new ways, improve treatment, remind patients about eye health, and help connect and build rapport with patients in the ways they need, want and respond to.

ECPs and practitioners’ views toward digital technology used to be to keep it at arm’s length, to dread the implementation, the training, and so forth.

Digital tech adoption has new importance in the dispensary when fitting or measuring products, on your website or online when people encounter your practice, in your social media communication, your appointment scheduling, and your follow on communications.

Don’t delay. Discover, learn and implement some of these new technologies and be “modern” today.

maxelrad@jobson.com