One year ago, in my February 2021 editorial, I highlighted many issues at play in the world that were having an impact on contact lens prescribing and practice. For example, the (still) ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain and distribution issues, and changes in regulatory and/or trade practices. There is no doubt that supply chain issues are impacting our patients—I recently had trouble acquiring some standard trial contact lenses for a family member due to these ongoing delays.

Looking back and acknowledging that there is no single, silver bullet to help us work through these times that “are a-changin’,” one consistent theme that we have promoted is to practice at the highest levels within our scope that serve our patients best. Fit specialty lenses. Align with the medical model in practice. And, embrace technologies and innovations to optimally serve your patients.

In thinking about the latter point regarding new technologies and innovations, I am sure that you relate to feeling challenged with keeping up—it is equally as hard as trying to “Keep up with the Kardashians.” It is also important to be mindful, especially in clinical practice, that “technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master” (Christina Lous Lange). In light of such fast-paced technological advances, we are introducing a new column in Contact Lens Spectrum for 2022 called “Fast Forward to the Future,” which is intended to highlight new technologies and innovations, some of which are still at the earliest of concepts, such that we continue to understand what is in the pipeline to best help us allow these technologies to serve our practices and patients.

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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.