Contact lenses: anything but mundane to our patients

Issue: September 2003

ByMichael D. DePaolis, OD, FAAO

Reflection is a good thing. It provides us with a glimpse of where we’ve been, helps us appreciate all we have and gives us a sense of where we’re going. In short, reflection affords us the opportunity to step back and see the bigger picture. As I reflect back upon 20 years of practice, I am amazed — and humbled — by the technical advancements I’ve witnessed.

Great strides in 20 years

What I remember most vividly from my early years was the privilege of practicing with Drs. Bob Morrison and Joe Shovlin, two of our professions’ most accomplished contact lens specialists. What I also remember were the limited choices we had in prescribing contact lenses. For sure, we didn’t have the contact lens materials, designs, care products or therapeutic agents we have today.

In fact, back then we didn’t have ...

... the comfort and clarity of disposable contact lenses,
... the convenience and effectiveness of no-rub multipurpose solutions,
... the safety of silicone hydrogel continuous wear,
... the rigorous validation of Corneal Refractive Therapy,
... the plethora of sophisticated multifocal contact lens designs,
... the variety of precision keratoconus and therapeutic designs,
... the ease of fit and reproducibility of toric lenses,
... the improved physiology and comfort of high-Dk/t RGP designs,
... and the numerous therapeutic agents for treating dryness, seasonal ocular allergies and the occasional infection.

Indeed, over the past 20 years the contact lens industry has made tremendous strides. With these developments have come many opportunities. Opportunities to successfully prescribe for children as well as their grandparents. To treat simple myopia as well as more complex refractive states. And, perhaps most importantly, to provide vision for those patients for whom no other options exist.

The cornerstone of primary care

While contact lenses have become incredibly safe and effective, easy to wear and maintain and the cornerstone of many primary eye care practices, they are often taken for granted. Perhaps it is by virtue of their success that many clinicians view them as rather mundane.

Interestingly enough, our patients view contact lenses in an entirely different light. Witness the unbridled enthusiasm of a 10-year-old experiencing contact lenses for the first time. Or the presbyope who marvels at his or her ability to read without eyeglasses. Or the profound appreciation of a keratoconic individual who is able to see — again. In each of these scenarios contact lenses are viewed as anything but mundane — and rarely taken for granted. Undoubtedly, this is something for which we owe contact lens manufacturers a great deal of thanks. And, certainly, an observation worthy of reflection.