The Refractive Patient Mindset Is Shifting:

What 2025 Data Is Telling Us and How Practices Can Adapt in 2026

If your refractive practice has noticed fewer inbound calls but more serious, decision-ready inquiries, you’re not imagining it. The latest data from Refractive Surgery Council reports a 19.7% decline in inbound call volume indicating a meaningful shift in how patients research and engage, and it’s changing what practices need to prioritize moving forward.

Importantly, this does not signal declining demand for refractive procedures. Instead, it reflects a fundamental change in how and when patients choose to engage.

Call Volume Is Down, But Intent Is Up

AI-assisted search is now answering many early-stage refractive questions before patients ever reach out. With Google’s AI Overviews appearing directly in search results, prospective patients can quickly learn about candidacy, safety, recovery, and procedure options without clicking through to a website or placing a call.

As a result:

• Google is sending less traffic to practice websites

• Patients are delaying direct outreach
• Initial engagement happens later in the decision process

When patients do connect, they’re often much closer to booking.

Why Website Engagement Matters More Than Ever

When today’s refractive patient visits your website, they don’t want to dig through pages or wait for a callback. They want answers, and they want them fast.

When a high-intent patient reaches your website, the way you engage them in that moment can significantly influence whether they move forward or move on. Increasingly, patients prefer the ability to ask questions naturally through conversation rather than scrolling through multiple pages trying to piece together information.

A Website Concierge creates a more convenient, real-time experience by allowing prospective patients to engage the moment questions arise. Instead of searching for the “right” page or waiting for office hours, patients can ask what matters to them and receives immediate guidance while their intent is highest.

This type of engagement helps:

• reduce friction during the decision process
• reinforce trust through timely, clear answers
• keep patients moving forward rather than exiting to another practice

In a lower-volume, higher-intent environment, how you engage each website visitor matters more than ever. Practices that make it easy for patients to get answers, without effort or delay, are better positioned to convert interest into action.

Fewer Conversations, Better Questions

While overall online buzz around refractive surgery has softened, patient intent has grown, and questions are becoming more frequent and more specific.

The conversation has shifted from:
“What is LASIK?”

to

“Is this right for me?”

Patients are increasingly asking:

• Is this safe for my eyes and lifestyle?
• What does recovery really look like?
• How long will results last?
• What happens if I wait?

These are decision-stage questions that practices would answer during a patient consultation. Now, patients are consulting AI before they every step into an office.

Speed Is Now a Competitive Advantage

As intent increases, patience decreases.

Patients expect fast responses, even when your staff isn’t immediately available, whether after hours, on weekends, or during call spikes. When human interaction isn’t an option, delays can cost opportunities.

A Virtual Patient Coordinator (VPC) acts as a smart extension of your team by:

• answering common refractive questions in real time
• guiding patients through next steps
• capturing lead information when intent is highest
• supporting patients when your office is closed

When today’s patient won’t wait for answers, the Virtual Patient Coordinator ensures they receive information when they want it, not hours or days later.

The Takeaway for Refractive Practices

The refractive patient journey hasn’t disappeared. It’s been compressed.

Patients are doing early research through AI-assisted search, reaching out later, and expecting immediate clarity once they do. Practices that succeed in this environment are those that focus on:

• engaging patients the moment they show intent
• answering questions quickly and clearly
• supporting decision-making even when staff are unavailable
• combining human expertise with smart digital support

In 2026, access, speed, and confidence are just as critical as clinical excellence. Practices that adapt to this shift won’t just keep pace. They’ll convert better, serve patients more effectively, and stand out in an increasingly competitive refractive market.

Patients are deciding faster. Is your practice meeting them at the right moment?

Let’s explore how real-time website engagement and after-hours support can help answer questions when intent is highest.