I’ve made it a tradition for the last few years to come up with some New Year’s resolutions regarding my use of GP lenses. Here are my resolutions for 2019.

Resolution 1: Literature Deep Dive

As clinicians, it is a continuing battle to stay up-to-date on the latest information about the specialty contact lens field, but keeping current is extremely important and beneficial to our patients. I must admit that I have not been as diligent over the last year about reviewing the current contact lens literature as I should have been. This year, I plan to set aside more time to go through the major journals and stay on top of my game.

Resolution 2: Refresher on Lens Parameters

One thing that I love about GP lenses is the amount of customization that can be done to tailor the fit to each patient. The downside is that all of this flexibility can be a bit overwhelming. To fix a fitting issue, is it best to change the base curve? Or the optic zone size? Or the peripheral curves? This year, I plan to refresh my memory on how changing one parameter will affect others and to review the fitting guides of my favorite lenses to understand what changes they recommend when troubleshooting a lens fit.

Resolution 3: Provide Patients with Education About Corneal GP Benefits

I love scleral lenses…but they aren’t always the best choice for every GP lens wearer. This is especially true in cases in which oxygen delivery to the cornea is a concern (e.g., for a post-graft cornea) (Figure 1). However, it is also true for every potential GP lens wearer. I probably default to a scleral lens more often than I should, so this year I plan to increase my patient education about more traditional options. This will help both of us make the best choice for patients’ needs.

Resolution 4: Contribute More to Contact Lens-Related Social Media

What good are New Year’s resolutions if you can’t break them? I broke this one in 2017, so I’m going to try again. There is a wealth of information about specialty lens fitting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. My plan this year is to post more in these communities and share more of my experiences with others. We all benefit from this great exchange of ideas…especially our patients.

What are your GP lens resolutions for this year? CLS