editor's perspective
GPs and Loyal Patients
BY JOSEPH T. BARR, OD, MS, FAAO, EDITOR

It's not easy to write something new about GPs. Products that are reliable, durable, high-performing, accurate and healthy are not necessarily always exciting. So many people have tried to make the GP market grow, and sorrowfully many of them have left us. We thought a few years ago that orthokeratology/
CRT/call it what yuu may would grow the contact lens field, but it doesn't seem to be happening in any grand way.

So we'll continue to use GP lenses, especially for corneal astigmatism and irregular corneas and increasingly for presbyopia. Indeed, many of our most loyal patients are those who wear alternating vision (translating) bifocals who just can't stand to wear glasses most of the time and who need very accurate vision. They're unlikely to seek care elsewhere when you treat them successfully. You can't say that about many patients today unless your service is uncompromising.

The same applies for irregular astigmatism, keratoconus and refractive surgery train-wreck patients. They're hard to manage, but you get to know them well and they stay with you once you find the best option for them even though it usually takes some time and effort. For these patients and for others — such as bitoric GP patients who have high myopia and hyperopic astigmatism patients with lenticular lenses who just can't see well enough with a soft toric lens — you need to charge fully for your servics so that you're properly compensated for your time and effort.

The folloning Web sites can help you with GP and keratoconus lens care. Try www.clspectrum.com, www.gpli.info and www.nkcf.org for the National Keratoconus Foundation where you can find help with billing for your medically necessary GP lens patients.

Also, keep in mind that this coming January 25-28 we will be sponsoring a major meeting: The Global Keratoconus Congress in Las Vegas. More information about this meeting is available at the clspectrum.com Web site.