editor’s perspective

A Time to Give Thanks

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

During the month of November, many in the United States celebrate a holiday called Thanksgiving; this holiday is also celebrated by our neighbors in Canada in October. The idea surrounding Thanksgiving is that we give thanks for the bountiful harvest of the year. Obviously, however, this holiday means much more than that today and is designated as a time to celebrate all of our blessings for which we are thankful.

Perhaps we should also use this month to think about and give thanks for the many blessings that we experience in our day-to-day lives in clinical practice. Many of us help preserve and restore the precious gift of sight—what an amazing blessing. Going one step further with this, we often do this with contact lenses. This is another amazing blessing for which we should be thankful. We couldn’t do this without the many options that we have in contact lens materials and designs. That is one more blessing. And, let’s not forget the truly supportive and innovative contact lens industry who is there to help along the way. Yes, that is yet another blessing for which we should be thankful, but we often forget.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we are, and should be, thankful to our patients for both allowing us to care for them and for trusting us with their care. At times, our patients can definitely challenge us, whether it be through personal interactions with certain patients—the ones that can make you cringe when you see them on the schedule—or the ones that present with challenging contact lens fits. However, I think it is best to display your professionalism in these difficult situations and remain thankful that you are their eyecare provider. After all, it is these difficult patients who will make you a better eyecare provider. Again, something for which we should be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving from the editorial staff at Contact Lens Spectrum!