Episode 001: Dr. Tom Arnold on Building A Specialty Lens Practice

His first impression of scleral lenses was that they took up “too much time”. Little did he know that several years later they would become his specialty. For our inaugural episode of the Specialty Lens Success podcast, our guest is Tom Arnold, OD, FSLS. He says to fellow specialists “You are the difference between seeing and not seeing. You are the difference between being in pain and not in pain.”

In this episode, we explore Dr. Arnold’s journey in optometry and specialty lenses. We dig into the strategies and tactics he used to build his successful specialty lens practice. And, we talk about the resources available to those that are newer to specialty lenses. Finally, we talk about the upcoming ICSC meeting in Ft. Lauderdale and how he and his fellow organizers have enhanced the meeting.

The specialty of specialty lenses is very rewarding in many ways. Dr. Arnold encourages those in this specialty and those considering it to invest in continuous learning.

During our conversation, Dr. Arnold mentioned several resources. Links to these resources can be found below:

• Scleral Lens Education Society (SLES) – https://sclerallens.org
• International Society of Contact Lens Specialists (ISCLS) – https://www.iscls.net
• Gas Permeable Lens Institute (GPLI) – https://gpli.info
• International Congress of Scleral Contacts (ICSC) – https://www.icscmeeting.com – 2023 annual meeting to be held in July 28 and 29 at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort
• Guide to Scleral Lens Fitting, by Eef van der Worp, 2010 – you can download a pdf by clicking here

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at ted.newill@eaglet-eye.com with your thoughts.