It is October, and do you know what that means?! It is our Annual GP and Custom Soft Lens Issue of Contact Lens Spectrum (formerly known as our Annual GP Issue). This is always a very special issue of Contact Lens Spectrum, as it is a time when we focus on, and really celebrate, specialty contact lenses. There is so much to be excited about in this category.

We are seeing tremendous advances in specialty contact lens materials and designs, affording greater options that benefit our patients. We are seeing continued growth in specialty lens fitting, particularly as it relates to corneal irregularity and to myopia control. Likewise, we are seeing more and more research on specialty contact lenses and their impact on the ocular surface, and you will note this research being highlighted in several of this month’s columns and feature articles. In fact, many controversies and unanswered questions remain in this area; this is highlighted in general in Dr. Clarke Newman’s column, and several controversies are addressed more specifically in our other content this month.

We also think that it’s important to highlight the specialty lens companies and labs that are bringing more and more innovations to market in this category. We would not have this excitement without our industry partners; we not only celebrate with them, we also thank them for all that they do to benefit our practices and our patients.

We hope that you enjoy this special issue of Contact Lens Spectrum.