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GP Lens Institute Newsletter | December 10, 2021

Exciting News for the GPLI

As We Bring in the New Year

As will be communicated in this issue, there is much for the GP Lens Institute to be thankful for as we head into the holiday season. The GPLI has a number of new programs, either in development or to be developed in 2022. This includes a series of dynamic online modules to assist the novice GP fitters, the development of contact lens specialty student externship sites, an Eye Care Professional Membership program, a Student Membership program, and the expansion of our case grand rounds lecture/workshop programs at the Colleges of Optometry. In addition, our “First in Education” educational programming will increase to provide GP and custom soft lens education in a variety of formats. We have established ten committees to help us achieve these goals which include both GPLI Advisory Board members and “Rising Stars’ who have served on our GPLI Resident Advisory Board during their cornea and contact lens residency. In an effort to fund all of these programs, the GPLI has devoted much of 2021 working on a comprehensive development program which we are very excited to share with you in this newsletter. It is the culmination of much effort by our GPLI Development Committee Chaired by Sara Yost (BostonSight) with members Jan Svochak (Tru-Form), Ron Walker, Kurtis Brown (DAC), GPLI Development and Marketing Coordinator Beth Anderzhon, and Drs. Rob Davis and myself.

SPOTLIGHT ON EDUCATION:

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Scleral Lens Design

Dr. Greg DeNaeyer

Renown scleral lens and topography innovator, exceptional contact lens specialist, popular lecturer and former GP Practitioner of the Year honoree Dr. Greg DeNaeyer provided a must see webinar on advanced scleral lens design applications. I always judge the quality of a GPLI webinar based on how excited I am at the conclusion – and the resulting sleep deprivation – and Dr. DeNaeyer’s was one of the best presentations we have ever had.

Some of the highlights included:

Residual cylinder correction: use of prism, toric and quadrant specifics haptics to assist in stability

Scleral lens multifocal candidates, design, fitting, and problem-solving

Wavefront correction benefits and software

Corneo-scleral topography: allowing for empirical design with very good alignment

Landing zone design: his research has found that 6% should have a spherical landing zone, 30% a toric, and 65% a quadrant-specific free-form design; the latter are necessary to prevent asymmetric edge lift or localized compression. When to use toric versus quadrant-specific designs is also discussed.

Custom scleral lens design for special cases including:

Pinguecula
Pterygium
Conjunctival blebs
Notched scleral lenses

Clinical cases accompanied all of the topics listed above

Watch the Webinar

SPOTLIGHT ON DEVELOPMENT

The GPLI just went “live” two days ago on our fundraising campaign. If you feel GP and custom soft lens education is important and desire to see more programs and resources, please consider donating to the GPLI. There is an opportunity to donate at any level. We also have “Friends of the GPLI” and “Industry Partners” for larger gifts, with the opportunity to sponsor our programs. In addition, if you have patients who have benefited from specialty contact lenses, it would be sincerely appreciated if you could share this program with them. We have an e-brochure on the Donate Now page, and we also have printed brochures that we would be happy to send you. Simply email us at [email protected].

GPLI is dedicated to providing the education, resources, and practice-building to bring the GP experience to the entire eye care community. To achieve this goal, funding will allow the GPLI to develop several new innovative programs, resources, and hands-on education to allow patients to receive the quality of vision they deserve.

Together, we can change lives.

Donate to the GPLI

UPCOMING WEBINAR

December 21st

GP Material Update

Maria K. Walker OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS

Learn More and Register

SPOTLIGHT ON RESOURCES:

Scleral Lenses

To accompany Dr. DeNaeyer’s very informative webinar, we have a number of resources pertaining to scleral lenses which can be accessed here.

Not only can you access over 30 archived webinars on scleral lenses, but you can also access the excellent Scleral Lens Fit Scales developed at the Michigan College of Optometry and our mini-book on all things scleral: Scleral Lens Troubleshooting FAQs, which is a comprehensive and well-illustrated guide on applications, lens design, fitting, problem-solving, and care. This was developed in cooperation with our friends from the Scleral Lens Education Society.

In addition, you can order at no charge the Scleral Lenses Are Big News consumer brochure and the Scleral Lens Care Tips, Application and Removal Card.

Order Printed Materials

Orders shipped to the US only - 200 of each complimentary including shipping

FIND A GP SPECIALIST

We have almost 3000 GP specialists with their area(s) of specialty listed to assist you when you need to refer a patient or for patients looking for a GP specialist as this resource is also available on our consumer site:

www.contactlenses .org. If you are interested in signing up to be a referral GP lens practitioner, you can do so here.

Specialties Include:

General GP Contact Lenses

Bifocal/Multifocal Contact Lenses

Contact Lenses for Irregular Corneas

Corneal Reshaping / Orthokeratology

Scleral Lens Designs

Submit Your Practice

INSPIRATION CORNER

“Scleral lenses have done wonders for my marriage. My wife has had keratoconus for most of her life. It used to be that I would take her to the emergency room frequently for complications. When she was refit into sclerals, it significantly improved her quality of life in both vision and reducing keratoconus-induced complications.”

- Dr. Harold Helderman

chief of renal transplant at Vanderbilt

SPOTLIGHT ON THE GLOBAL SPECIALTY LENS SYMPOSIUM

January 19-22, 2022

The GPLI will once again be a gold sponsor for the 2022 GSLS.

This includes the following:

Sponsorship of a track of education including courses on specialty lens fitting and problem-solving and on GP multifocals
An exhibit booth
Registration sponsorship of one educator at every School and College of Optometry in North America
An educators advisory luncheon open to all optometric contact lens educators
The Rising Stars reception is open to all current and former cornea and contact lens residents, educators, Advisory Board members, and CLMA members. At this reception the GPLI annual awards will be presented including:

The Naomi “Jo” Svochak GP Practitioner of the Year Award (via the generous support of Jan Svochak)
The GPLI Educator of the Year (via the support of Drs. Ed and Jean Bennett)
The Thomas J “Tommy” Pham GPLI-NKCF Keratoconus Practitioner of the Year award. Tommy has provided generous support toward this award and has also agreed to be there in person to present it.
The GPLI Distinguished Service Award

Early registration ends December 15th

We hope to see you in Las Vegas!

About the GPLI

Edward S. Bennett, OD, MSEd, FAAO, FSLS

Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri St Louis College of Optometry

President and Executive Director, GP Lens Institute (GPLI)

The Gas Permeable Lens Institute is dedicated to providing eyecare professionals with unbiased educational and practice-building resources highlighting GP and custom manufactured soft contact lenses.

Please support the educational opportunities provided by the GP Lens Institute. We will continue to support all ECPs, staff and your patients. Be kind, respectful and find happiness within yourself!! Happy holidays!