As summer draws to a close, it has been our tradition for many years to remember the importance of “back to school” eye care as kids and teens prepare to return to school in North America. This year, going back to school will look rather different given the current pandemic related to COVID-19. Many parents and students are currently in the midst of trying to understand how both lower and higher education will be modified to mitigate the spread of the disease. We are hopeful that we can curb the spread in our communities, particularly as it may impact those in the educational system.

In other news, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its final changes to the Contact Lens Rule to the disappointment of many who advocated otherwise. The pendulum has swung from the protection of consumers (as it related to medical devices, such as contact lenses) to that of promoting fraudulent sales of contact lenses without eyecare practitioner involvement. The FTC Office of the Commissioner even went as far as to suggest that prescription requirements “strike the word ‘manufacturer’” as an essential element of the prescription. That would obviously ignore important material and design elements associated with the contact lens fitting process required for successful fitting of contact lenses to patients. We will provide more in-depth coverage on this topic in the months to come.

As always, we hope that your summer months have been productive and that your practices have successfully transitioned back to providing the eye care that your patients need.

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The goal of Contact Lens Spectrum is to provide you with timely and thought-provoking articles that will help you become a more successful contact lens practitioner. Please let us know how we’re doing! E-mail CLSpectrum@pentavisionmedia.com with your comments or article submissions.