IACLE turns 40
January 2019
IACLE celebrates 40 years of Exceptional Education
The International Association of Contact Lens Educators will mark its 40th year with anniversary events in the UK, the Philippines, Colombia and 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). Other national and local meetings around the world will also mark the occasion.
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 organization 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, programs 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 organization 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.’
FIACLE Dr Dwight Akerman, Vice President & Global Head, Professional Affairs 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 organization 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.
Discover more about the history of IACLE, its achievements and the changing face of contact lens education, in our 40th anniversary video. Click on the image below to view and download…
Our thanks to Rens Bais of Limestone Group for compiling the video, and to the Brien Holden Vision Institute and Neues Optiker Journal for historical images.
Find more comments from our sponsors on our 40th year here
Read about IACLE’s Early Days history here
International Association of Contact Lens Educators
E: iacle@iacle.org
W: www.iacle.org
| Thank you to our sponsors |
||
| Platinum sponsor | ||
 |
||
| Gold sponsor | ||
 |
||
| Silver sponsor | ||
 |
||
| Bronze sponsor | ||
 |
||
| Donor sponsor | ||
 |
||