Practice Playbook
Dry Eye Service Economics Over Five Years why kept patients compound.
The case for building a dry eye service on purpose shows up in year five, not year one. Daily products run out and get reordered, so each year's treated patients add to a base that carries into the next.
In one paragraph
Keeping patients matters more than adding them.
In this illustration a practice adds 100 engaged patients a year and keeps 80% of them each year. At $1,148 of yearly patient spend on a sample routine priced from VisionRescue.com, the active base grows to about 336 by year five and five-year spend reaches about $1.33 million. If every order were sent through RescueLink, the 15% participation credit would come to roughly $199,000.
Worth knowing
- Each year's treated patients stack onto the base from earlier years.
- Year one is always the smallest; growth comes from patients who stay.
- The practice keeps a slice of patient spend, either the wholesale spread on in-office items or the RescueLink credit.
- In this model, a better keep rate moves year five more than extra intake does.
- Every figure is an illustration from the stated assumptions, not a forecast.
The illustration, year by year.
Assumptions: 100 engaged patients added each year, 80% kept from one year to the next, $1,148.36 of patient spend per active patient per year, and every order sent through RescueLink at a 15% participation credit. In-office sales would earn your wholesale-to-retail spread instead.
| Year | Active patients | Patient spend | RescueLink credit (15%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 100 | $114,836 | $17,225 |
| Year 2 | 180 | $206,705 | $31,006 |
| Year 3 | 244 | $280,200 | $42,030 |
| Year 4 | 295 | $338,996 | $50,849 |
| Year 5 | 336 | $386,033 | $57,905 |
| Five-year total | $1,326,769 | $199,015 |
Rounded. Products only; testing and procedures are not included. Credit shown on listed patient prices; it applies to the net sale, so discounts lower it.
The three inputs that move year five.
Ranked by how much they change the result.
Keep rate
The share of patients still on their routine a year later. Automatic refills are the main tool for protecting it.
New patients
How many engaged patients join each year. Screening at every visit drives it.
In-office versus shipped
How much you hold in the office compared with what ships. In-office sales earn more per item; shipping ties up no inventory.
To lift the year-five figure, improve the keep rate before chasing new patients. Adding people who drop off after one bottle only replaces the ones you lost.
RescueLink
Send the rest home with the patient.
Text or email each patient the exact products you recommend. They check out in one tap on VisionRescue.com, refills can repeat automatically, and your practice receives a 15% participation credit on eligible OTC orders. Contact lenses and Rx products are excluded.
- Free to activate, no subscription
- Patients check out in one tap
- Automatic refills on daily items
- Your recommendation, your patient
Doctor questions about the five-year view
Why is year one so small?
The base has not formed yet. Patients who stay are added on top of each new year's group.
Is this a forecast for my practice?
No. It is an illustration built on the assumptions shown. Your intake, keep rate, routines and channel mix will differ.
Where does $1,148.36 a year come from?
A sample evaporative dry eye routine priced at VisionRescue.com list prices on 8 October 2026: Optase MGD Advanced drops, Optase Protect lid spray, PRN De3 omega softgels, a Bruder heat compress and Optase Hylo Night ointment, with refill timing taken from each product's labeled days of supply.
Why is the practice share smaller than patient spend?
The practice keeps the RescueLink credit or its in-office margin, not the whole sale.
Are procedures included?
No. The model covers take-home products only.
How can I model my own numbers?
Start with the RescueLink earnings example and swap in your own intake, keep rate and channel mix.
About this guide
Prepared for licensed eye care practices by Vision Rescue. Reach the provider team at providers@visionrescue.com or 1-855-692-8024.
Notes and disclosures
Every figure on this page is an illustration from stated assumptions and VisionRescue.com list prices on 8 October 2026, not a projection, guarantee, or financial, tax or accounting advice. Vision Rescue is a licensed pharmaceutical wholesale distributor of medical supplies and OTC eye care products.
Plan for year five.
Stock the essentials at wholesale, and switch on RescueLink so refills keep coming.