It is an exciting time in our industry. It seems as though every time we turn around, we see a new entry into the ophthalmic market, with a heavy emphasis on entries into the anterior segment market—including contact lenses, diagnostics, therapeutics, and new procedures to help those who have ocular surface disease and corneal irregularities. It is hard to keep up!

We are excited to introduce a new column this month called “Product Focus.” The idea is that we partner with companies to identify experts who have “in the trenches” experience with a new contact lens or anterior segment “product” (medical device, over-the-counter or prescription therapeutic, etc.), and we ask the experts to discuss their initial clinical experiences to date. While the information is anecdotal, this is usually the first step to implementing something new in clinical practice—based on clinical experience. As Steve Jobs said, “Don’t just talk about what your product does or why it’s superior; show them a compelling picture of how it’s going to make their life better…that’s what gets people excited.” We believe that hearing from colleagues is one way to show this picture.

As discussed in prior issues of Contact Lens Spectrum, we are very careful and deliberate about discussing branded products within our editorial pages, and I will spare you those details here. That said, we think that this new column is a fair and balanced way to offer perspective on emerging products in our field, and we certainly welcome your feedback on this initiative. Happy reading.