During a presentation at Vision Expo East, Charles Posternack, MD, PACP, FRCPC, chief medical officer of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, said eyecare professionals are poised to have the greatest opportunity of their careers, thanks to healthcare reform and those “willing to accept risk will have the opportunity to capture market share.”

Several members of the lens industry came together Friday during a forum at Vision Expo East to discuss the rising trend of private-label progressive lenses.

During the Global Contact Lens Forum, a partnership between Vision Expo East and the British Contact Lens Association, Shelly Bansal, FBDO, Hon CL,FBCLA; Jason Jedlicka, OD, FAAO; and Alan Glazier, OD, FAAO; discussed the current state of contact lens retail and how the industry may evolve in the near future.

In order to compete with the onslaught of online optical retail Web sites, we have to be open and ready to change, says Barry Santini, ABOM.

During the Global Contact Lens Forum, a partnership between Vision Expo East and the British Contact Lens Association, Lyndon Jones, PhD, FCOptom, FAAO, explored the factors of contact lens discomfort.

During the During the Global Contact Lens Forum, a partnership between Vision Expo East and the British Contact Lens Association, Milton Hom, OD, FAAO; Nick Rumney, MScO, FCO, FAAO; and Michael Ward, MMSC, FAAO; discussed how the interaction between the contact lens and the ocular system affects contact lens success.

ring the Contact Lens Global Forum, a partnership between Vision Expo East and the British Contact Lens Association, David Kading, OD, FAAO, Shelly Bansal, FBDO, Hons CL, FBCLA, and John Rumpakis, OD, MBA, explained why not making the most of your contact lens business means risking drop outs and losing money.

During the Contact Lens Global Forum, a partnership between Vision Expo East and the British Contact Lens Association, Mile Brujic, OD, Nick Rumney, MScO, FCO, FAAO, and Lyndon Jones, PhD, FCOptom, DipCLP, DipOrth, explored where contact lenses have been and where they’re going.

During the Contact Lens Global Forum, a partnership between Vision Expo East and the British Contact Lens Association, Justin Bazan, OD, Optometry Times Editorial Advisory Board member, offered up tips for using e-mail and social media to build and maintain your patient base.

During the Contact Lens Global Forum, a partnership between Vision Expo East and the British Contact Lens Association, David Kading, OD, FAAO, Shelly Bansal, FBDO, Hons CL, FBCLA, and Jack Shaeffer, OD, argued their cases for various contact lens wearing schedules.

Since I began my practice, I have made a habit of regular office retreats. Even in the early days, with a staff of 1, we found time to get away and talk about what we were trying to accomplish with the practice. And later, with 3 doctors and very full schedules, we continued to make it happen.

I recently completed Robin Cook’s new medical thriller, Cell. Cook, best known for his books Coma and Outbreak, is an ophthalmologist by training, and his books often tie his story lines to current events. Not to spoil the book for those who want to read the novel, but the premise of Cell is that a phone app, named iDoc, has been designed to replace the primary-care physician.

Recently, Dr. Klein asked me to examine one of his long-term rigid gas permeable (RGP) lens-wearing patients. For 2 months, her RGPs became heavily coated after application. Of course, her vision was compromised with debris build-up on her lenses, and her eyes irritated as she cleaned and re-applied the lenses multiple times a day.

We often put all the emphasis on the contact lens itself. It’s the first thing we change when things aren’t right, but it may be an unnecessary change if we consider the impact lens care has on the overall wearing experience. Because lens care products differ in how they clean, disinfect, and wet the lens, it is essential that we differentiate among them.

I am myopic, and I’ve been seeing an optometrist since I was in fourth grade. When I was in college and deciding among dentistry, medicine, and optometry, my dad said I should talk to my great uncle. His name is Oley Olson and he practiced for 30+ years in Charlotte, NC. He not only influenced me to go into optometry and what a great field it was but to come to North Carolina to practice as well. And that’s where I am today.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved Medicare payment reform legislation that would eliminate the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) from the Medicare physician fee-setting formula and move the government health program toward a merit-based payment system.

ABB Optical Group has backed out of a deal with Superior Vision, citing concerns over Superior’s new contact lens program-and independent optometrists’ response to it.

To protect consumers’ eye and vision health, the American Optometric Association is warning the public about the false claims that they provide an online “eye exam,” stating that these claims are confusing and misleading.

Veteran OD rockers, Bad Habits “The EyeDocs of Rock,” are planning a night of music and entertainment for fellow International Vision Expo attendees from 9 pm to 1 am Friday, March 28, 2014.

The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) recently released an app, available for download on both Android and iOS devices.