This month we will emphasize scleral lenses, and the results of recent clinical research about very relevant clinical issues pertaining to scleral lenses. Our outstanding September webinar on this topic was presented by Dr. Gloria Chiu, an Advisory Board member of the GPLI and Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the USC Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Chiu is also Chair of our Clinical Externships Committee which hosted a webinar last month for anyone interested in serving as a specialty contact lens externship site for fourth year optometry students. Our resource focus this month will pertain to, of course, scleral lenses. Finally, we are all saddened by the recent passing of a contact lens and anterior segment icon, Dr. Art Epstein. We will pay tribute to Dr. Epstein and also highlight an upcoming Woo University program for which all of the profits will be donated to the GPLI for an award in his honor.

As mentioned above, the GPLI has embarked on a very ambitious project to significantly increase the number of specialty contact lens clinical externship sites for fourth optometry students. Any eye care professional entertaining the idea of becoming an externship site should go to our web page for more information. There is an educational webinar from August 23^rd entitled “Expanding Your practice through Education: Becoming a Specialty Contact Lens Externship Site” where four experts discuss the benefits of having externs rotate through their respective practices as well as an application to become a site.

This program is sponsored by the Society of Eye Care Specialists (SECS). Members of the SECS include Drs. Rob Davis, Jeffery Sonsino, Jordan Kassalow, Amy Nau, Douglas Inns, Aaron McNulty, Moshe Schwartz, Lamar Zigler, Barry Eiden, Todd Bowman, Jeff Cooper, Randall Fuerst, David Seibel, Selina McGee, and Shalu Pal.

We were all saddened by the passing of one of the profession of optometry’s foremost clinicians, educators, and influencers, Dr. Art Epstein, this past Monday, September 26^th at the age of 71. There have been few individuals in the eye care professions who have not benefitted from his over 1100 invited lectures, numerous publications, and editorials. He was considered one of the leading experts in dry eye diagnosis and management, ocular allergies, and specialty contact lenses.

Art was a graduate of both the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry and also their ocular disease residency. After 28 years serving as President and Chief Clinical Officer at North Shore Contact Lens & Vision Consultants in Roslyn, NY he moved to Phoenix, AZ and served as the Director of Clinical Research for The Dry Eye and Ocular Research Center for Phoenix Eye Care, the practice he established with his wife, Dr. Shannon Steinhäuser, in 2013.

He has received numerous honors including the American Optometric Association (AOA) Contact Lens and Cornea Section Legends Award, induction in the Oklahoma Optometry Hall of Fame, and – most notably – he was ranked #1 among America’s Eye Doctors in 2021 by no less than Newsweek magazine. Among his many leadership positions was serving as Chair of the Contact Lens Section of the AOA, and also founder and past President of the Optometric Dry Eye Society. He was also a Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice. As a long-time Advisory Board member of the GP Lens Institute (GPLI), I’ve always appreciated his support and contributions to our programs and resources.

More than anything, as will be communicated in a forthcoming CL Today and Contact Lens Spectrum tribute, Art was the profession of optometry's lightning rod. As a long-time Medical Editor of Optometric Physician, he invited controversy with his editorials and his influence has been enormous. The word that appears to come to most people’s mind when thinking about Art Epstein is . . . irreplaceable. There will never be another individual like him and we should cherish the fact that – for 45 years - we did have Dr. Art Epstein as our colleague, mentor, and educator.

To honor Dr. Epstein, Woo University is donating 100% of their profits from their upcoming symposium to the GPLI for an award in Dr. Epstein’s name. This four hour program on the topic of Oral Pharmaceuticals will be held this Sunday, October 2^nd and you can register here:

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