You've probably had to deal with a few hard-headed patients who've insisted they can wear their contact lenses for as long as, well, forever. They're probably the same ones who throw a
fit if you won't release their Rx because they haven't had an exam since the 1980s.
Now along comes extended wear contact
lenses—again. (See News Review, "B&L Unveils Extended Wear Lens, Lawyers Get Busy," page 6.) I don't fault Bausch & Lomb and CIBA Vision for pushing the envelope here. Consumers want it.
These companies are only trying to make it healthy and safe.
I'm worried that the misguided media mavens at your local newspaper and TV station are going to swarm all over this with their notebooks and
mini-cams. After all, these are the same people who've challenged us to explain why you can't wear a daily disposable contact lens for as long as you can wear a conventional daily wear lens.
And somebody's going to ask you: If you can wear this contact lens for a week, why can't you wear one of these other lenses just as long?
To which I would like to reply: Go ahead and try it. (You, of course, can't do this,
Doctor, but I, as an editor, have no professional license to risk.)
I'd even suggest to this person to conduct a little experiment on himself. Pop in just
any contact lens, wear it for seven days and six nights, and see what happens. While you're at it, wear the same pair of socks for the same cycle. Heck, why
change your clothes at all? And, that toothpaste you use? See how well it fights tooth decay and bad breath if you only brush once a week.
A few years ago Transitions Optical did a survey that showed consumers rated
vision as the most important of their five senses. I don't dispute that. But some people are going to think they can plop just any foreign body onto a fertile bacteria medium and let it go for days. I don't get it.
Doctor, get ready for the media frenzy over extended-wear contact lenses. And, if you really want to be a maverick, change the subject to extended-wear socks.
This month we welcome Dr. Frank Fontana as Consulting Editor. Better known as Uncle Frank, he's opened many doors for us on the magazine staff, introducing us
to key people in the profession and industry. A longtime member of our Editorial Board, Dr. Fontana has been a team player all the way since I joined the
magazine eight years ago. Please join me in congratulating him on his new assignment.
