RGP insights

"RGP Bifocal Contact Lenses Changed My Life"

BY EDWARD S. BENNETT, OD, MSED
OCTOBER 1999

One of the most enjoyable aspects of participating in the Rigid Gas Permeable Lens Institute's (RGPLI) "Successful RGP Fitting for Today's Optometric Practice" seminars is to see how excited optometry students get when they have the opportunity to work with RGP bifocal contact lens patients.

The Art of Listening

One technique that has been especially beneficial to students prior to the fitting and evaluation process has been to listen to the patient tell their side of the story.

I had one patient tell students how he wanted RGP bifocal contact lenses but couldn't find anyone who would fit them. Every practitioner he visited either told him that there was no such option or that they don't work. He ended up at the Illinois College of Optometry and was successfully fit into RGP translating bifocals and was satisfied. The students picked up on his enthusiasm toward this modality and after listening to him, many felt that fitting RGP bifocals would be important in their own practice.

Straight from the Heart

I was recently a faculty member at our RGPLI program at the University of California-Berkeley's School of Optometry. At the bifocal station, I met the most fascinating patient. After relaying her story to 12 different groups of optometry students, many of them approached her and thanked her. Once she was done speaking, I heard students whispering to each other that they were definitely going to fit RGP bifocals. Here is her story:

"I'm 77 years old and have worn rigid bifocal contact lenses for 34 years. They have changed my life.

Don't ever underestimate the power of vanity. As I grew older, I had many physical changes occur that were upsetting. However, when an optometrist told me recently that I could no longer wear RGP bifocals, I became extremely depressed. As soon as I put eyeglasses on my face, I felt older. When I was successfully refit with bifocal lenses, both my vision and my life improved immensely. You see, I'm not wealthy. I'm not even middle class, but I save my money. How can you put a price on your vision or on the quality of your life?

As part of my training to be a peer counselor, my group had to simulate what it feels like to be in a hospice environment. In increasing order of importance, we listed the last 14 things we each would give up if we knew we were dying. Last on my list was my family, but my next-to-last entry was my RGP bifocals. I'll tell you this: I expect to die wearing these lenses. I can read, drive and I can see the ocean. And I don't have the inconvenience of having something sitting on my face. I can't imagine living my life without my RGP bifocals.

The biggest problem is finding a practitioner who will fit them. I always figured it was due to lack of education, so when I was asked to participate in this workshop program, I was honored. I thought that if I could influence even one student to fit RGP bifocals in their future practice, I would be satisfied.

There are a lot of us who can benefit from RGP bifocal lenses, and fitting them can profit your practice. I judge a contact lens practitioner by their ability to fit bifocals. In my mind, if you don't fit them, you're only half a contact lens practitioner."

Dr. Bennett is an associate professor of optometry at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and executive director of the RGP Lens Institute