2021 3rd IACLE Virtual Conference

‘Education and Practice: All CLEAR’ conducted on Saturday 23 October 

President’s welcome message

I’m delighted to welcome you to our third Virtual Conference. We introduced these meetings in 2020 to keep in touch with our members during the difficulties of the pandemic period. The response was so positive that we have continued these live, online events which form part of IACLE’s Teach. Learn. Connect. (TLC) Initiative.

The third Virtual Conference had a clinical focus. Chaired by Dr Byki Huntjens, we covered the papers published in the first half of 2021 to make up the BCLA ‘CLEAR’ project. This work featured 11 papers written by 102 authors from 16 countries and covered the latest research information across a wide range of contact lens-related topics. We were delighted to be joined by a number of the papers authors for our Virtual Conference; each presented a summary of their paper which I believe was a highly relevant and productive meeting for IACLE members. In addition, I hosted a discussion with experts from IACLE’s sponsors, to consider key issues across the contact lens industry and how IACLE members can help to make contact lenses an even more successful vision correction option.

I would like to express my thanks to the whole IACLE team, and especially our Executive Manager of Educational Programs Nilesh Thite, for their efforts in bringing this together. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution and support of our sponsors for this third IACLE Virtual Conference.


Conference chair’s welcome

We provided another three hours of outstanding speakers discussing topics on our theme of ‘Education and Practice: All CLEAR’. You may already have read all 11 BCLA Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic Reports (CLEAR), but if you haven’t or you are wondering how to apply this knowledge within your curriculum, this was the place to be on Saturday 23 October.

We started the day with an absolute must: an overview of evidence-based practice by Karen Walsh. This was followed by two interesting lectures on ocular responses by Dr Vinod Maseedupally and Dr Maria Navascues Cornago. The latest in ocular complications following contact lens wear was summarized by Dr Ajay Kumar Vijay.

IACLE President Professor Philip Morgan then introduced our international industry experts who give their views on future challenges for contact lens educators and potential solutions. Next, Dr Raquel Gil-Cazorla explored the medical use of contact lenses, after which we received a summary of the orthokeratology report by Daddi Fadel. Our final speaker was Dr Melissa Barnett who spoke to us about scleral lenses.

The program featured presentations on:

  • Evidence-based practice: Why and how?
  • Ocular response – effect on tears
  • Ocular response – effect on physiology
  • Ocular complications in contact lens wear
  • Going beyond the routine – contact lenses for medical use
  • Going beyond the routine – orthokeratology
  • Going beyond the routine – scleral lenses

Panel discussion: ‘Future challenges for contact lens educators and potential solutions’, with experts from IACLE’s sponsors.

Experts from IACLE’s sponsors joined Professor Philip Morgan for a panel discussion to consider key issues across the contact lens industry and how IACLE members can help to make contact lenses an even more successful vision correction option.

VIEW PROGRAM
VIEW CONFERENCE BROCHURE


A word from the conference organizer

IACLE Executive Manager of Educational Programs Nilesh Thite says, ‘As evidence continues to remain a buzzword in contact lens practice and education, IACLE’s third Virtual Conference themed ‘Education and Practice: All CLEAR’ focused on evidence-based practice. We believe that IACLE members worldwide found the conference very informative and hope that many members benefited from it.’

Post meeting update

Over 100 participants watched live online as IACLE’s Board, representatives from IACLE sponsors, and authors involved in writing the British Contact Lens Association’s (BCLA) Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic Report (CLEAR) Initiative shared knowledge on their areas of expertise. The post-conference survey was positive, with all respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing that the overall topics covered in the congress were relevant to their needs. We thank all the event participants and give special thanks to our sponsors for making the Virtual Conference and other IACLE activities possible. 

Members can watch the recording on IACLETOP


Thank you to everyone who participated in and attended this event.