The biggest issue with (R)GP lenses is, of course, comfort. The GPLI (the Gas Permeable Lens Institute) offers a great new online webinar on initial comfort in GP lens wear. The 83-slide presentation by Ed Bennett can be seen via the link below. The goal is to offer clinical tools to increase success with (R)GP lenses. One of Ed Bennett's angles is: successful (R)GP lens practitioners seem to have hardly any problems with patient comfort. How do they do that? Practitioners' approach, patient education and, specifically, how it is presented to the patient appear to be critical points.

Optimizing GP Initial Comfort - GPLI webinar 

Another aspect of (R)GP lens fitting that could potentially lead to improved comfort, better respect corneal integrity and decrease physiological stress on the cornea is the use of corneal topography in lens fitting. A group from Terrassa (Spain) looked at simulated fitting with computerized videokeratography and manual conventional lens fitting. Computerized software systems are helpful in determining the first contact lens in the fitting process, they concluded (ARVO poster #6492). Christine Sindt, Trudy Grout and Randy Kojima published an article in Contact Lens Spectrum on 'Evaluating Virtual Fitting for Keratoconus.' They concluded in their paper that topography indeed can play a role in (R)GP lens fitting, even in the irregular cornea although some limitations arise with the current instruments. These items may be overcome in the near future, as color coded topography and OCT imaging are emerging and are currently entering the contact lens market.