IACLE celebrates 40 years of exceptional education

The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) will mark its 40th year with anniversary events in the UK, the Philippines, Colombia and the United States during 2019.

Celebrations will be held at the British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference & Exhibition in Manchester (30 May - 1 June), the Asia Pacific Optometric Congress in Manila (17-20 June), the FEDOPTO Congress in Bogotá (8-10 August), and at the joint Academy 2019 and 3rd World Congress of Optometry in Orlando, Florida (23-28 October).

The founding meeting for what was to become IACLE took place at the Bausch & Lomb European Symposium on Soft Contact Lenses in Monte Carlo, Monaco on 6 November 1979.

Around 16 contact lens educators attended the meeting and agreed to form a new international organisation for contact lens educators to share educational materials.

Today, IACLE is the leading provider of educational and information resources essential to contact lens educators worldwide. The New IACLE Contact Lens Course is its most used and most important resource, with the highest satisfaction rating of all IACLE resources, programmes and events. With six modules and 33 lectures, the New ICLC is used by members around the world to teach their students, the contact lens practitioners of the future.

Over four decades, this one organisation has brought together a total of 2,500 members in 91 countries, who have instilled their knowledge to as many as 170,000 students. IACLE estimates that more than 250 million contact lens wearers have experienced the life-changing benefits of contact lenses as a result.

IACLE president Dr Shehzad Naroo commented, “The global impact of IACLE, its members and sponsors is nothing short of exponential. We’re proud to be celebrating IACLE’s achievements over 40 years, while looking ahead to the future for contact lens education.”

Dr Dwight Akerman, Vice President at platinum sponsor Alcon, added. “Since 1979, IACLE’s noble mission has been to increase the number of qualified contact lens educators and improve the quality of contact lens teaching, thereby increasing the number of skilled contact lens practitioners throughout the world and facilitating the use of contact lenses worldwide, in partnership with industry.

No other organisation in the world fulfills this undertaking like IACLE. Alcon is committed to continuing its platinum sponsorship to enable IACLE to expand its vital work that is essential to contact lens educators worldwide.”

More details of IACLE’s 40th anniversary celebrations – including special events, presentations, awards and interactive exhibits – will be available throughout 2019.