International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) is to mark its 40th anniversary with events in the UK, the Philippines, Colombia and the US throughout 2019.
UK celebrations will take place at the BCLA conference in Manchester on May 30 – June 1 and will recognise IACLE as ‘the leading provider of educational and information resources essential to contact lens educators worldwide’.
IACLE was founded in 1979 in Monte Carlo, Monaco when 16 contact lens educators attended a European Symposium on Soft Contact Lenses. They agreed to establish an organisation to exchange materials and ideas.
Over the past four decades, IACLE has united 2,500 members in 91 countries who have passed on their knowledge to 170,000 students. The organisation estimates that more than 250 million people have been introduced to contact lenses as a result.
IACLE president, Dr Shehzad Naroo, said: ‘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.’