Posted : 05/01/2001

Posted : 05/01/2001

Eyes Wide Shut
Protective Eyewear Is A Must During Indoor Tanning

by Scott Eric Barrett

For indoor tanners, using protective eyewear is reminiscent of that cause-and-effect relationship we learned about in the fifth grade: You throw a rock at a window (cause), the window breaks (effect).

Customers who enter a tanning unit without protective eyewear (cause), risk long-term damage to their eyes (effect). Unfortunately for salon owners, some tanners do not heed the warning; therefore, simply supplying protective eyewear isn't enough. Salon owners, using marketing techniques like posters, fliers or any other method must make tanners aware of four important UV and eye facts.

1. Eyewear protects tanners' eyes from potentially harmful ultraviolet light.
2. UV damage is cumulative.
3. The short-term health risk is corneal burns, which are sunburns on the surface of the eye. A corneal burn shows up within a few hours of exposure and is characterized by increased sensitivity, a burning sensation and excessive tearing. The effects are apparently temporary and usually disappear within a day or so.
4. The long-term health risk includes brunescent cataracts, which are a clouding or pigmentation of the lens within the eye. They are slow to develop, usually occurring over a matter of years, but they are permanent. The clouding affects night vision and also can alter perception of color. Cataract surgery is the only known cure.

Be sure to advise your tanners of the government regulations associated with tanning in addition to the health benefits and risk factors. Salon owners need to do this in a bold fashion and as a regular part of greeting a new customer.

FDA regulations state that not only must there be signs on the equipment, but the salon owner also must explain the proper use of protective eyewear to every customer. Failure to comply puts the owner at risk of being held liable in professional liability suits.

The only way for a salon to prove it has done its job in warning clients about the risks of not wearing eyewear is to post signs on the wall, include a section on protective eyewear in the employee training manual and have a copy of the warning on the sign-in card so it's obvious that the customer had to review the consequences and hazards of their actions.

Distribute additional knowledge to your tanners as well. "Why can't I just close my eyes?" the tanner asks. A good response: "Eyelids block less than 25 percent of harmful UV rays, so closing your eyes will not protect them from the UVA and UVB rays."

Some salon owners attempt to scare tanners into eyewear compliance, while others rephrase their approach and promote the benefits, such as keeping your eyesight into old age or enjoying all the colors in the world. They only revert to scare tactics when appropriate. No matter which method you choose, always remember the golden rule: Informed customers make better decisions.

If you want customers to make that well-informed decision and go with onsite eyewear, cleanliness is a must. There is nothing more unappealing to a tanner than going to put on goggles only to find them smeared with mascara or makeup. Of even greater concern is the threat of contracting a virus from someone who has worn the eyewear previously. The most commonly transmitted disease among tanners is pinkeye. A highly infectious disease, pinkeye is characterized by itching, redness, swelling and increased secretion. An epidemic of pink eye in a tanning salon can have a dramatic impact on your business.

Impetigo, viral or bacterial infections, cold sores and various other sores are also on the transferable disease list. To prevent these types of infections, goggles must be disinfected between each and every use, not just a few times a day.

Profit Possibilities

Whether tanners like it or not, wearing protective eyewear is necessary for their protection and health. But there is one other benefit to protective eyewear that salon owners don't always recognize--profit.

The state of Texas is the only state that requires tanning salons to offer the eyewear "free of charge." Salons that are asking their customers to buy protective eyewear are pulling in thousands of dollars each year, especially when they are being sold as something the client needs for their own best health.

"We like to educate salon owners on how to sell eyewear vs. giving them away as a freebie," says Dave Orwick, sales manager for Lucas Products in Toledo, Ohio. "Salon owners can make an extra $5,000 or so each year selling eyewear."

Orwick says the best way to do it is to start off by making tanners rent eyewear. If you charge them 50 cents per use they will realize that at that price they could own their own pair after five or six tans. Explain to customers that you do a great job of cleaning and disinfecting the eyewear, but wouldn't it be nicer to have your own pair that has the headband already tied and you don't have to worry about cleanliness?

Orwick believes that since eyewear is mandatory, it's important to throw in a few perks for tanners. In fact, he says Lucas' Super Sunnies new iGear Eyeshields can alter a tanner's mood. The entire eyeshield is made out of lens material. The advantage of it being one piece is that tanners no longer have to worry about any fluid getting trapped between the lens and the body when you soak them in disinfectant.

"It doesn't happen very much, and it usually drains out," he says. "But there's always the off chance that some might stay in there and that's one of the reason why we suggest that people rinse them after they get done soaking.

The iGear line applies the idea of color therapy to its eyewear. The dark goggles look like they are black, but they are actually green. When a tanner puts them on there is a green light that comes through the lens area. Green is a calming, restful, peaceful color; therefore, it is something a tanner might want to wear when they want to quiet down and relax while they are tanning. Tanners usually prefer the green goggles at night when they tan before they go home and go to bed.

On the other hand, red is a more exciting uplifting invigorating color. The red iGear goggles lets in more light for those tanners who want a more uplifting and energizing experience during their session.

Orwick says the marketing idea is for salon owners to sell them to customers so their mood can determine which pair they wear.

For tanners out there that won't trust a tanning salon's cleanliness and don't want to always carry their own goggles, disposable eye protection may be the answer.

"The biggest benefit of disposable eyewear is that there is no chance for infection. Disposables are completely sanitary because the tanner is just wearing them once and then throwing them in the trash," says Brenda Fishbaugh, president of Eye Pro, Inc. in Ft. Wayne, Ind. "We make two disposable eye protection products: Wink-Ease and VIEWkeepers!"

With disposable eye protection such as Wink-Ease and VIEWkeepers!, there is no chance of eye infection. Additionally, the products do not have nose bridges to leave a tan line across your nose. Fishbaugh notes that VIEWkeepers! have a deeper cone so there is more eyelash room for ladies who have long eyelashes.

The benefit to salons is that they don't have to worry about keeping their goggle tanks clean and sanitary, about mixing the fluid correctly, rinsing off the goggles, scraping any makeup and mascara out of the inside of the goggles, replacing broken goggles or stolen goggles. With disposable eye protection, the salon owner doesn't have any of those concerns.

"Our products are completely adjustable, so you can make them fit the shape of the eye and not have raccoon eyes," she adds. "They are also see-through, allowing the tanner more freedom. There is plenty of room for long eyelashes and makeup won't be spoiled by wearing disposable eyewear."

A salon's first and foremost concern should be that all tanners protect their eyes using some form of eye protection. Encourage all tanners to find an FDA-compliant product and wear it.