editor’s perspective

Keeping Perspective and Balance in CLS

BY JASON J. NICHOLS, OD, MPH, PHD, FAAO

Contact Lens Spectrum, its editors, and its contributing editors strive to “raise the bar” each and every month in terms of the content that we bring to our readership. As editors past have said, Contact Lens Spectrum should serve as a forum for “everyone to give their version of the truth” (about contact lenses). Yet, while we are not a scientific journal in the strictest sense, we also try to ensure that our content is evidence-based. I have to admit, there are times that I have struggled a bit with this sort of editorial quandary—trying to provide a forum to voice new ideas and thoughts while at the same time trying to ensure that we continue to use clinical research literature as a solid footing for our clinical content and, ultimately, for decisions about the care of our patients.

Another real-life, practical example that relates to this sort of predicament has been in the area of continuing education (CE), and what’s now considered acceptable and what’s not. No longer can a CE talk be promotional in any way, and for good reason. However, that doesn’t mean that a sponsored talk is of no or little value. In fact, many clinicians readily admit that these sorts of sponsored talks are often the best format for learning something specific about a new drug or device.

I realized early on in my leadership of Contact Lens Spectrum that keeping perspective is key while trying to maintain balance. Maintaining appropriate perspective is probably the key to success in most aspects of our lives—both professional and personal. Marcus Aurelius said, “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” I have to admit, I appreciate the sort of spectrum of truth that exists in what we hear, see, and read. Perspective—don’t look too closely at everything or you’ll lose yours.