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Develop proficiencies in time-tested methods, explore new modalities
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We are, indeed, creatures of habit. Be it personal or professional endeavors, we often settle into comfortable routines. Of course, this isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, there’s something to be said for a good routine. If one does something frequently enough, he or she generally becomes fairly proficient at it. In clinical optometric practice, proficiency is certainly a good thing.
The problem with routines is that they result in complacency. For instance, it’s easy to adopt certain prescribing habits. While these habits make life easy for us (and our staff), they do not necessarily do so for our patients.
Perhaps this is no more evident than in contact lens practice. Consider the fact that we’ve all embraced the concept of disposability and routinely recommend weekly, biweekly or monthly replacement schedules. But how often do we take the time to discuss the added benefits of daily disposable lenses?
The new extended wear
Then there’s the issue of extended wear. Despite significant patient interest, we’ve found it quite easy to dismiss the prospect of overnight wear given our experiences with yesterday’s lenses. But is this really an appropriate response considering today’s clinical acumen and the development of silicone hydrogel lenses?
What about the low myope who perceives refractive surgery as the only alternative to conventional spectacle or contact lens wear? Though a relatively new concept for most of us, overnight orthokeratology holds great promise for these individuals.
And then there’s monovision – undoubtedly the “path of least resistance” for many of us prescribing for the presbyopic patient. Arguably, with so many disposable and planned replacement options available today, prescribing bifocal contact lenses is much more efficient for our practices and successful for our patients.
Delivery methods
Finally, even the means by which we deliver contact lenses should be revisited. Whereas traditional contact lens ordering and dispensing is preferred by many patients, it’s neither efficient nor convenient for others.
Certainly, the ability to order replacement lenses through a practice’s Web site and then receive them at home (or at work) is appealing to certain patients.
Professional responsibililty
I’m not suggesting that we embrace and implement every new drug, device or procedure with reckless abandon. It’s our professional responsibility to adhere to time-tested methods while adopting those technologies with promise for improved patient outcomes. Not an easy task, for sure, but one that results in exceptional patient care, assures practice viability and is professionally gratifying.