The GP Lens Institute, the educational arm of the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association, has launched a new GP Contact Lenses website developed by Access Media.

The site educates consumers about the many benefits of GP contact lenses, and contacts in general.

The new site replaces GPLI’s first-generation consumer website, which was produced by Access Media in 1999. The updated site includes new articles on several topics:

• astigmatism
• keratoconus
• orthokeratology
• presbyopia
• irregular vision problems
• contact lens prescriptions
• contact lens cost

Popular articles from the earlier site are still there, covering topics such as bifocal contacts and the history of contact lenses, with updated information.

In addition, the site now includes video testimonials produced by Wink Productions. Featured GP wearers include consumers who use GPs for keratoconus, ortho-k and presbyopia.

The site can be found at www.ContactLenses.org.

For the first time in the site’s almost-ten-year history, All About Vision served more than 200,000 unique visitors in one week, according to Google Analytics.

For the week ending November 14, the site served 200,516 unique visitors.  But that traffic record didn’t last long: The following week, Google Analytics documented 206,838 unique visitors.

What’s driving the increase? Comparing the two-week period to a similar period last month, traffic increases can be seen for just about all the site’s most-viewed articles. Standouts include topics like eye twitching (up 123%), pink eye (up 26%), LASIK cost (up 14%) and astigmatism (up 14%). The lone exception among high-traffic articles was that about color contact lenses; it dropped following a record-setting October.

All About Vision readers submit many questions about eye allergy symptoms, which editorial board member Brian Chou, OD, answers in this new feature.

Eye allergies have many causes, including dust and pollen exposure that can lead to allergic conjunctivitis.

Treatments include over-the-counter or prescription eye drops.