Paul M. Karpecki, OD, FAAO Kentucky Eye Institute, Lexington, KY Gaddie Eye Centers, Louisville, KY

Sponsored by Bausch + Lomb.
In today’s advancing world of eye care, it is essential for eye care professionals to be aware of innovations in the marketplace, and to introduce those advancements that offer the greatest potential for positive patient outcomes into the practice. Proactively integrating innovation into the organization plays an important role in staying relevant for patients and positioning the practice as a leader in their health care.

For more than 160 years, Bausch + Lomb has introduced innovative eye care products to help patients attain greater quality of vision. In 2016, the company sponsored a series of innovation summits across the country to discuss the role that organizational habits play in advancing or inhibiting patient care, to highlight the opportunities and obstacles of presbyopic patients, and share knowledge about the latest Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® for Presbyopia contact lens innovations available for patients and practitioners.

As part of the “innovation initiative,” Bausch + Lomb challenged participants to evaluate their practice’s culture and habits, and explore new methods for introducing industry innovation to patients. At the same time, the company undertook the Ultra Comfort Experience Patient Evaluation, a patient trial and assessment of Bausch + Lomb ULTRA® for Presbyopia in real-world settings. The results will likely surprise and encourage you about the opportunity to not just fit existing contact lens wearers in an innovative multifiocal contact lens, but also spectacle wearers.

To communicate the progress and success of the innovation initiative, 11 eye care professionals, known to be innovators in the field who participated in the nationwide summits, were invited to share their experiences associated with integrating innovation into the practice. Diffusion of innovation across teams, the presbyopic opportunity, successful strategies for adoption of the groundbreaking technology, and patient outcomes are summarized in this piece, which I believe offers eye care professionals creative—manageable—ways to infuse innovation into their practices.
-Paul M. Karpecki, OD, FAAO