The eye care profession is probably a lot larger than you think. Perhaps it seems smaller because it’s so segmented, with each professional group often acting independently. Yes, there are shared resources, but O.D.s have their own journals, M.D.s have theirs, and opticians, industry and retailers likewise have their own information sources and private groups.

This is fine, of course; we all like to have our safe havens where we can communicate with like-minded individuals. But eye care seems to have taken it to the extreme, with each group too often working in isolation. When that happens, what’s lost is a healthy exchange of ideas, the power of shared resources, and the tremendous benefits that patients would receive if only there were greater cohesion.

Imagine a space where you could communicate live, on-the-spot, with other O.D.s about a new drug that you’ve never prescribed before. Then, a mouse-click away, you could pick the brains of some of the most knowledgeable opticians in the nation about how best to stock your frame board. Later that same day, you might have a question about how to manage a patient in the short-term while he awaits for a consult with the M.D. to whom you typically refer.

Does it sound too good to be true? JMI (the parent company of Review of Optometry) thought so too—until we started building it.

By the time you receive this issue of Review of Optometry, an exciting new eye care resource will be at your fingertips. At this year’s Vision Expo East meeting, the editors and business staff of JMI’s vision care properties—including Review of Optometry, Review of Ophthalmology, Vision Monday, 20/20, and others—will unveil the most exciting eye care communication tool our industry has ever imagined. Located at www.SightNation.com, this powerhouse will enable you to not only keep up with the latest news and events, it will change the way you practice optometry and interact with your colleagues. This open platform will allow for a free exchange of ideas, the uninhibited sharing of cases and clinical photos, and the opportunity to communicate in real-time with friends, fellow alumni and industry professionals.

At SightNation, you can be more than just a faceless member of another online group. You will be a citizen with a voice, in an active community with shared goals and participation—all with the mission to improve eye care, further the industry, and better serve patients.

In that regard, this month’s issue of Review emphasizes the importance of comanaging patient care when appropriate. In our 15th Annual Comanagement Report, tertiary-care practitioner Walter Whitley, O.D., M.B.A., makes “The Case for Comanaging With Other O.D.s.” An O.D. can no longer be a jack-of-all-trades, Dr. Whitley says, so referring patients to other optometric specialists should be as trustworthy as referring a patient to your favorite cataract surgeon.

In “Catch Up on Cosmetic Enhancements,” optometrist Daryl Mann argues that optometrists are already experienced in cosmetic improvement with contact lenses, so talking to patients about other cosmetic enhancements is a natural extension—and a good practice builder.

Lastly, every practice sees its share of keratoconus patients. Now a promising new surgery offers the hope of arresting keratoconus progression. Karen K. Yeung, O.D., and Barry A. Weissman, O.D., Ph.D., provide “An Introduction to Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking,” in which they describe how you may soon be comanaging with corneal surgeons to improve patients’ vision and even stop keratoconus in its tracks.

That’s the power of working together. See for yourself at SightNation.