The clinic, with its attractive combination of old and new architectural styles, is a familiar feature of the Bad Godesberg district of Bonn. Run by Prof. Dr. Alireza Mirshahi and Dr. Thomas Haupt, Dardenne Eye Clinic is one of the major ophthalmology centres in Germany, with around 10,000 eye surgeries being performed there every year.
In addition to its main focus on cataract surgery, the range of procedures performed also includes glaucoma and retinal surgery as well as eyelid, corneal and refractive surgery. The clinic is ISO-certified and sets great store by its sophisticated hygiene and quality concept, a key element of which is providing patients with comprehensive advice and support. Continuing medical education is also given particular importance in the clinic.
Transparent fixed prices
By purchasing the flagship of SCHWIND laser systems, the AMARIS 1050RS, Dardenne Eye Clinic has now positioned itself in the premium segment of refractive surgery with the aim of establishing premium LASIK as a byword for quality and reliability. “We decided on the world’s fastest and safest excimer laser. The repetition rate of 1,050 Hz is the fastest currently available, and in terms of safety the 7D eye tracking is completely unrivalled”, said Dr. Thomas Haupt. An important part of the strategy is a transparent, easy-to-understand price structure for LASIK surgery, including all the check-ups and any necessary corrections within the first year of treatment. “We’re not working with loss leaders here”, added Dr. Haupt.
LASIK Hotline
To catch the attention of potential LASIK candidates in the local area around Bonn in particular, the clinic launched a carefully planned and multifaceted advertising campaign to mark the inauguration of the AMARIS 1050RS. This includes a LASIK hotline which is manned by trained employees and promoted across all the planned communication channels, as well as a userfriendly microsite (www.brillenlos.com) which provides information about LASIK with helpful illustration – including a notice about upcoming information evenings. The clinic also produced an information video, which follows a LASIK patient through the entire treatment process from preoperative examination through to postoperative check-up. The video is employed in various ways: at the information evenings, on the Internet and on social media, and even in a cinema advert (in an edited version), which runs at a cinema in Bonn for six months. To round off its communication, in August the clinic placed a radio advert on the most popular local private radio station, which ran for a period of six weeks, as well as a range of adverts in local newspapers and on social networks plus a LASIK flyer, which was placed in gyms and driving schools, for example
Target group campaign
All this was complemented with direct dialogue. In a one-day promotional campaign, hostesses in green Dardenne polo tops interviewed passers-by in Bonn city centre about LASIK, and handed out flyers. Good cooperation with the professionals who refer patients is particularly important to Dardenne Eye Clinic. With this in mind, all referrers – mostly practising ophthalmologists who specialise in more conservative treatments – were sent a letter and an information brochure on the AMARIS 1050RS. In addition, the clinic organised an information stand at a medical training workshop on OCT in June to publicise the introduction of the new laser.
A campaign which is already bearing fruit. After just a few months, the clinic has already recorded a considerable increase in treatments and a significantly larger number of patients interested in LASIK.
