Contact lenses continue to play a vital role in the lives of our patients, which consequently means that they are a vital aspect of our practices. Their role in our clinics has evolved over the years, but, even with that evolution, demand remains steadfast. Patients depend on these devices to provide them with independence from spectacles while they participate in sports, hobbies, work, and a variety of other day-to-day activities. On the other side of this coin, optometrists use contact lenses to slow the progression of myopia, provide good visual acuity for patients with keratoconus, treat ocular disease … the list goes on.
As experts in the field of vision correction, it is imperative that we stay up-to-date on innovations within this vision correction modality. This issue of Modern Optometry is dedicated to reviewing, updating, and covering all things contact lenses. One aspect of managing patients who wear contact lenses is knowing what to do when things don’t go as planned. For example, how do we deal with microbial infections in contact lens wearers? Anita Gulmiri, OD, FAAO, describes how to handle these situations. Similarly, contact lens wear can affect the ocular surface and cause issues for wearers. Leslie O’Dell, OD, FAAO, explains how lens wear can disrupt the balance of the tear film and provides suggestions for restoring homeostasis. These conditions challenge optometrists on a consistent basis and ultimately can lead to loss of vision and cause patients to drop out of contact lenses.
As helpful as standard contact lenses are, specialty contact lenses can sometimes be the ace up our sleeves for particular situations, offering life-changing benefits for patients with irregular corneas, myopia, or ocular surface disease, to name just a few. Stephanie L. Woo, OD, FAAO, FSLS, offers pearls for training staff members to help run an efficient specialty contact lens practice. Following her tips and tricks, you will be able to fit more patients without sacrificing your time with other patients. Piggybacking on Dr. Woo’s article, Roxanne Achong-Coan, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FSLS, reminds us that, although efficiency matters, coding and billing correctly to receive the proper reimbursement for contact lens exams, fitting, and materials is just as important.
Contact lenses, be they for vision correction alone or medical necessity, will continue to hold an important place in the medical optometrist’s toolbox. As with all of our tools, it behooves us to stay current on developments and innovations.
Let us know what you think about the articles in this issue and in Modern Optometry in general. We love hearing from you! Email us at modernOD@bmctoday any time with your questions, comments, suggestions, whatever. Look for the next issue in July, when we’ll have another great lineup of articles focusing on ocular surface disease and on the business of optometry.
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