PBS show addresses GP lenses

WASHINGTON – The Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA) has announced the release of a mini-documentary on gas-permeable (GP) contact lenses titled "Spotlight On: Vision" to be shown nationwide on PBS Public Broadcasting stations. The program is part of a PBS effort to inform and educate viewers about interesting and often unknown topics of interest. It is expected to air repeatedly, in various time slots, by more than 140 stations over the next 30 to 60 days.

Featuring interviews with noted contact lens practitioners Bruce Anderson, OD; Ed Bennett, OD; Primary Care Optometry News Editorial Board member Walter Choate, OD; and Wiley Curtis, OD, the program highlights the roles GP lenses play in improving patient vision in an informal and entertaining manner. Included are segments on corneal reshaping, lenses for presbyopia and advances in technology that make GP lenses a healthy and comfortable choice for many vision requirements.

Because the mini-documentary provides insights that may be new to many viewers, the CLMA expects patients to ask their eye care practitioners for information on GP lenses for their vision correction. To assist in responding to those inquires, DVD copies of the 4-minute and 6-minute programs will be available to practitioners through participating CLMA laboratories. In addition, the program video will soon be accessible on the association's Web site: www.contactlenses.org. Either source can also provide an informative in-office educational presentation for patients who have not seen the PBS broadcasts.

For more information, contact the CLMA through CLMAssociation@aol.com. The CLMA, organized in 1961, is made up of contact lens laboratories and material, solution and equipment manufacturers in the United States and abroad. The mission of the CLMA is to increase awareness and utilization of custom manufactured contact lenses.