editor's perspective

The Contact Lens Event of 2010

By Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PHD, FAAO

As you are probably aware, each year in the January issue of Contact Lens Spectrum we take a look back at the previous year to both summarize the year's events and to recognize an “Event of the Year.” This past year was quite an exciting one, and we will highlight many 2010 events in this issue.

Before taking a look back at 2010, it is important to point out that 2011 is a very special year for Contact Lens Spectrum, its editorial staff, and its readership. Specifically, 2011 is the 25th anniversary of the journal. We are quite proud of its heritage and are very excited to bring you highlights of our history during the upcoming year. Likewise, we will also do some significant forward thinking in this regard about where we are headed in the future. We have a very exciting editorial calendar planned—with help from your input—and we think you will enjoy our cutting edge content planned for 2011.

Relative to the Event of the Year for 2010, there were many things that we considered as it was such an exciting year. There were significant contact lens meetings held around the world—some of the largest that have ever taken place. We learned more than ever about some issues that have plagued the contact lens industry for many years including insights into discomfort and dry eye, inflammatory events, microbial keratitis, and corneal staining. However, this year we have chosen to highlight a significant advancement in the field as it relates to a certain product segment used by our contact lens patients. Specifically, we are calling 2010 the Year of the Contact Lens Solution, and we expect to see at least one more new contact lens care product in the next year.

The scientific advancements associated with entirely new contact lens care solutions are significant events in and of themselves. However, the launch of new care solutions represents something much more significant to the field—specifically, the resiliency of industry to continue to provide new products even after experiencing significant set-backs with major recalls just a few years ago. This adds to the significance of the launch of these new products and is why we chose it as the Contact Lens Event of 2010.

Many thanks to each of you for continuing to make our field so healthy and successful. I'd like to personally thank all of our editorial staff, contributors, and readership for a successful 2010. I very much look forward to an even better year in 2011, particularly as we celebrate spending the past 25 years with you.