editor's perspective

RGPs Make You Want to Be a Better Practitioner

BY JOSEPH T. BARR, OD, MS, EDITOR
OCTOBER 1998

In the recent movie, "As Good as it Gets," (which I thought was hilariously funny) the ever-entertaining, obsessive compulsive Jack Nicholson finally gets his act together and tells his love interest, played by Helen Hunt, "You make me want to be a better man." It's a classic line delivered like only Jack can.

Does fitting RGP contact lenses make you feel like you are a better eye care practitioner? It may. One thing is likely -- when you succeed in fitting RGPs, your patient will believe you know what you're doing. And you'll probably feel like it was a more stimulating enterprise than a simple soft contact lens fitting. Whether normal patients with astigmatism, those who have had soft contact lens complications, irregular astigmatism or keratoconus, or postsurgical patients, all will think you want to be a better provider if you help them see better and more comfortably with RGP contact lenses.

There's no doubt that the successful RGP patient sees the long-term vision correction value. Some practitioners complain that RGP patients don't buy enough lenses. I'm not sure if they are the same ones who complain about patients buying soft contact lenses from mail-order companies. But in many cases, RGPs are in the patient's best interest, and that seems like the basis for a sound practice. I often say that experienced, high-volume RGP practitioners don't have a problem with RGP comfort. It's true. And even though I'm not sure I agree with those who say RGP fitting is easy, I do agree it's not the most difficult thing to do if you have knowledge and experience.

Again this October, we dedicate our issue to RGPs. We get criticized for this by some, but not by many. So read on, and we'll help with the knowledge part, so you can say (kind of) like Jack, "They make me want to be a better practitioner."