Last year, I made a few New Year’s Resolutions about GP lenses to kick-start the year. This year, I’m going to continue that tradition and offer some more advanced topics.

Resolution 1

Fit more challenging orthokeratology (ortho-k) cases. Interest in ortho-k has greatly increased in the last few years, mostly due to the greater understanding of its role in myopia control. While I do quite a bit of ortho-k, I would like to learn more about advanced designs for higher amounts of myopia and astigmatism (Figure 1).

I have been skeptical about how well some of these designs can work, but have seen case reports that show promise. Ortho-k lens designs can be very complex, with multiple zones and curves, and I want to know more about exactly what gets changed in the lens to alter the amount of treatment.

Resolution 2

Increase my knowledge of advanced scleral lens options. Scleral lenses are a major part of my practice, but there is always more to learn about these amazing lenses. I tend to default to a couple of brands and would like to get comfortable with other designs. Each lab has its own way of designing lenses and making adjustments to parameters, and I need to understand these differences better.

I want to get a better understanding of scleral topography and how that affects scleral zone design. I plan to increase my use of more advanced options, such as sector-controlled limbal vaulting and microvaults, for more customized scleral fitting.

Resolution 3

Increase my use of GP multifocals. GP multifocals are a great option for many presbyopes, even those currently wearing soft lenses. Getting GP multifocals to work well takes some extra effort by practitioners to understand the designs and choose the correct one to use.

Some designs are meant to lid attach, while others are supposed to center well. Some designs use aspheric back surfaces, while others put the aspheric curve on the front. The size of the distance zone varies among designs.

GP multifocal contact lenses are definitely not one-size-fits-all! This year, I plan to reacquaint myself with all of these options, choosing the correct lens, and troubleshooting these designs.

Resolution 4

Contribute more to contact lens-related social media. I learn a great deal from colleagues on Facebook groups such as Scleral Lens Fitters, American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control, and ODs on Facebook. Twitter also has many great practitioners sharing information and cases.

I have not contributed much to these, but I intend to post more this year. There are only so many cases we all get to see each year in our practices, and we all benefit by sharing unique and interesting fits.

Your Turn

What are your GP lens resolutions for this year? CLS