CLOSE UP ON CONTACT LENSES
Continuous Wear Convenient
by Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

Most of today's consumers—your patients—are pressed for time. This makes convenience a commodity they seek and are willing to pay for.

With less fuss, continuous wear contact lenses have a wide appeal. A few of the benefits are: 

■ Immediate visual benefits. With the lenses in, you can see from the get go every day.

■ Keeping track. Lenses that stay in place reduce the chances of losing or damaging CLs.

■ Cleanliness. Less handling often equals less chance of infection.

Toric continuous wear offers the benefits of continuous wear plus crisp vision for astigmatic patients. Available from a variety of manufacturers in HEMA, HEMA/MMA, HEMA/Acryl., SiHy, and oxygen permeable (GP) materials, toric continuous wear contact lenses are also available in color options and an ever-expanding range of parameters.

DAILY DISPENSING

Making toric CLs part of your everyday routine can pay off in many ways, says S. Barry Eiden, OD, of North Suburban Vision Consultants, Ltd., with locations in Deerfield and Park Ridge, Ill.

"We view them as non-specialty lenses, since we fit torics on such a significant percentage of patients," notes Eiden. Because of their widespread application, they are not promoted at Eiden's practice as a specialty contact lens. Instead: "Only high-cylinder torics are considered specialty lenses at our practice. We present toric CLs on a case-by-case basis," he says.

When presenting toric options to patients, Eiden and the staff explain the dynamics behind astigmatic eyes and how toric contact lenses correct vision.

The practice also utilizes model eyes and a computer-based modeling system to educate on astigmatism and contact lens correction.

Laurie L. Sorrenson, OD, of Lakeline Vision Source in Austin, Texas, takes a simple approach. "We don't promote toric CLs per se, we promote that we fit and specialize in the hard-to-fit or difficult contact lens patient," she says.

MIGHTY MULTIFOCALS

Generally, today's emerging presbyopes treat themselves to better quality clothing, state-of-the-art cars, and the latest electronics. They are used to myopic or hyperopic vision, but not the challenges of presbyopic vision. They know their vision is changing, and they want it fixed, fast.

Be aware that fitting toric multifocals can be particularly challenging. "Simultaneous vision bifocals work on some patients, but it does compromise vision," reports Rex Ghormley, OD, of Contact Lens and Vision Care Consultants in St. Louis, Mo.

Nevertheless, chances are, patients wearing single-vision toric CLs can segue into toric multifocal CLs fairly easily. They understand torics may cost more, but offer sharper visual acuity.

Patients who wear spherical CLs may get the multifocal toric equation by applying a two-step method. First, fit them with single-vision toric CLs. Second, fit toric multifocals. Then let them compare. By appreciating the visual acuity in single-vision first, they may grasp the visual intricacies with toric multifocals more easily.

Consider multifocal toric CLs for first-time wearers who are both astigmatic and presbyopic. They may be tired of eyeglasses as their primary vision correction, reluctant to have refractive surgery, and may even have been unsuccessful CL users in the past.

It's important to assure these potential toric multifocal wearers that today's contact lens technology isn't what it was in year's past, and that now comfortable, concise vision is available to them in a CL option. Appeal to their sense of self-health, self-worth, and adventure.