editor’s perspective

The Contact Lens Event of 2015

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

We first used the Editor’s Perspective to report the contact lens event of the previous year in January 1991. It is a remarkable tradition that was started by editors past, and one that we honor to this day. When deciding on the event of the year, we try to pick the one event we think is so substantial that it has impacted the entire field of contact lenses. As you might anticipate, selecting an event of the year is no easy task—and that is why we typically survey our entire readership for their feedback and thoughts. And, this is a somewhat special one for Contact Lens Spectrum because in 2016, we are celebrating our 30th year as a publication—and we believe that CLS is quite a pearl (for those out there who know their anniversary milestones)!

We received many ideas and thoughts about the contact lens event of 2015. We saw much in the way of new technologies come to the market last year, which is no doubt important in serving our patients best. We continue to see the daily disposable segment of the market grow in the United States, more so than any other contact lens segment. We also saw the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society initiate a new international workshop in 2015—Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS) 2.0; these workshops really drive global consensus on ocular surface conditions. There also were significant shake-ups in the industry with mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic moves in 2015 that may have an impact on the contact lens industry, particularly in the GP contact lens segment of the market.

However, there is one thing that absolutely stands out as the event of 2015—one that is most remarkable and without doubt will impact the field of contact lenses like no other in the years to come—and that is the passing of Professor Brien Holden on July 27, 2015. While we definitely do not celebrate Brien’s passing, we undoubtedly celebrate his life and the profound impact that he had on the field of contact lenses since the early 1970s. As we have published in the article titled “A Tribute to Brien Holden” (September 2015), there is no one who ever has had or likely ever will have more impact on contact lenses than Brien Holden did. This is why his sudden passing means so much to the contact lens community—on a global scale. As I said in his eulogy in my editorial in the September 2015 issue, “Brien Holden will be missed. But more importantly, Brien Holden, and what he stood for, will be remembered.” And that is why we acknowledge this tragic event as being so momentous and have named it our Contact Lens Event of 2015.

The editorial staff at Contact Lens Spectrum wishes you a fruitful and prosperous year ahead in 2016!