This article walks practitioners through the process of managing patients with medically necessary contact lenses.

摘要

Improving quality of life with contact lenses for patients suffering from debilitating corneal conditions can be impactful and rewarding for both patients and practitioners. Patients who have corneal irregularity, scarring, dystrophies, ectasia, and other pathologies are often unable to obtain normal vision with eyeglasses or standard contact lenses. Many cannot recognize faces, drive, work, read, learn, prepare food, ambulate, or live independently because of their vision impairment. The direct and indirect costs to society are significant for this population. For these patients, contact lenses are not simply an elective or cosmetic option-—they are often the only means to restore vision and are medically indicated to bring visual functioning to a normal or near-normal level.Numerous articles, webinars, and other resources are available that describe how to fit all types of contact lenses for patients who have corneal and ocular surface diseases and conditions that require medically necessary lenses. The Gas Permeable Lens Institute (GPLI) web site (www.gpli.info ) may be the best overall resource for practitioners, students, and residents. Excellent articles from Contact Lens Spectrum and other publications are archived online and are easily accessible. Therefore, rather than serve as another “how to” guide, this article will share my philosophy and clinical care process used at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Optometry Cornea and Contact Lens Service. This may help those wishing to add medically necessary lens care to their practice or provide a different perspective for those already providing this service.