CONTINUING EDUCATION, 1 CE Credit – $9.99, 1 Hour, General Knowledge, Level 1, Release date: October 2007, Expiration date: October 31, 2012

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ECP of the MONTH

Marty Mast, NYS LOD/NCLE
Office of Dr. S. Schoenbart, East Meadow, NY


Marty Mast,
NYS LOD/NCLE

What Progressives do you dispense?
Our most popular and successful progressives are from the Varilux family of lenses. I prefer the Comfort and Physio for standard fit and the Ellipse for short corridor. The variety of lens materials and lens options fill my patient's needs most of the time. I also use lenses from Carl Zeiss Vision for both standard wear and computer use.

What is your method for selecting which frame suits a particular patient?
I consider many factors when selecting the proper frame. Not only must it be cosmetic and appropriate, but I speak with the patient, (and parent) to determine whether it will be for full time wear, post-Lasik enhancement, or over contact lenses. My office stocks all types of frames, from pediatric (Fisher-Price), sport (Rec-Specs), Titmus safety frames, petite through over-size, High design (Cole-Haan), and core brands, like ClearVision.

Do you dispense more silicone or non-silicone contact lenses?

In our office, we have a very large contact lens practice. Our patients include children from 8 years (parents insert and remove lenses), to low vision, keratoconus and everything in-between. Currently, we dispense more non-silicone lenses. We use 1-day lenses for our non-compliant patients. We also have many social and occasional wearers where cost and convenience of daily lenses are recommended. In addition, many of our patients are sports active, in which case we advise 1-day lenses.

We find that the silicon hydrogel market is growing quickly, giving our patients many added benefits. Some of these benefits include: greater oxygen permeability, options for extended wear, wetter surface for reducing dry eye symptoms and more comfort and the additional selection of new designs for astigmatism and presbyopia.

What conventions do you attend and how do you get CE credits?

I attend the Vision Expo East, Vision Expo West, Mido Milan, and Silmo Paris. I find the Europe shows offer more future frame trend designs from manufacturers while the U.S. shows are more importers of finished designs.

I obtain my CE credits at the U.S. shows and through my State optician societies, (I belong to two). I have also received credits through trade magazines and online.

I have sat in on educational classes at Mido for my own knowledge and not for credit.

What does the future hold for the Independent dispenser?

Professional, personalized attention will always have a market. The future is positive. While independents cannot advertise in as much a cost effective manner as the large chains, co-op advertising and purchasing through buying groups can bring cost of goods sold almost to an even playing field. Independents must realize they have a special and very important place as one of the three O's in the world of ECPs.

What are your thoughts on MD's opening more dispensaries in the future?

Having gone through the MD-OD-Optician dispensing battles of the late 1990's, I find it hard to believe that MD dispensaries will ever get a large, successful foothold in the eyewear market. OD's and Opticians discovered other MD's to which they could refer, who did not have competitive products and services.

A patient's perception of quality is linked to the entire office and when a frame or multi-focal is not fit or selected properly or when it goes out of alignment or breaks, then the entire office is tainted.

Do you find it easier to convert traditional bifocal wearers to the new Pal designs?

While the newer Pal designs have many advantages, it is more a question of what the patient would gain by placing them in a progressive lens. For example, if a patient is 45 years old and wearing an FT28 and does not yet use a computer, I would introduce a Pal as a good choice because of its additional benefits for future wear and because of a low add and ease of adaptation.

A 75 year old wearing an FT28 who is now retired and spends time on a computer for entertainment - I would not switch from his current lens style but recommend either a SV or Multifocal VDT lens to be worn only at the computer for better vision and convenience. Sometimes it's just easier to convert a bifocal wearer simply for cosmetic reasons, but a conversation regarding lifestyle and lens differences will avoid that non-adapt.

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