This September, the 2024 Cornea and Contact Lens Advancing Skills Symposium (CLASS) will kick off in the United States—marking its first appearance in the United States for this internationally-attended event.
Let’s start with some background on this.
Originally launched in 2018 under the name Contact Lens of the Americas Specialist Symposium, the CLASS program is designed as a comprehensive initiative with a curriculum based on peer feedback that emphasizes real-world clinical experiences.
- The goal: To create an engaging learning environment that equips participants (eye care practitioners) with practical clinical insights that can be applied to their practice.
And more recently?
In June 2023, news broke that the symposium would be shifting to the United States (after previously being held in Latin America) under the new management of Maureen Trusky, CMP, founder of Mo.Events LLC.
Note: Long-time CLASS sponsor Contamac, a UK-based independent manufacturer of contact lens and intraocular lens (IOL) materials, will no longer be involved in the program, according to Trusky.
So who’s heading up the program?
The symposium program chair is John D. Gelles, OD, FIAO, FCLSA, FSLS, FBCLA, director of the specialty contact lens division at the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute (CLEI) in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Joining him are the following vice-chairs:
And what can we expect from this event?
The symposium will feature global industry sponsors and international expert speakers, including a series of ophthalmology talks on a range of ocular health and contact lens topics via case study reviews, panel discussions, sponsored workshops, and personalized skill transfers.
Plus, at the very core of the meeting are the six key pillars of CLASS education:
- Soft and cosmetic contact lenses
- Gas permeable and hybrid lenses
- Scleral and prosthetic lenses
- Myopia management and orthokeratology (ortho-k)
- Cornea and ocular surface disease (OSD)
- Applied diagnostics and prescribing technology
Any educational content?
Indeed! Visionary Medical Education (VME), a Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE)-approved administrator, has been appointed as the official educational partner of CLASS 2024.
A maximum of 30 continuing education (CE) credits each will be offered for COPE, the American Board of Opticianry (ABO), and the National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE).
- As a bonus: Accreditation requirements and policies are also in line with the Florida Board of Optometry and The Texas Optometry Board (with a 30-credit maximum for each as well).
Who's leading this education portion?
The event’s education committee includes the following expert clinicians:
- Tiffany Andrzejewski, OD
- Jennifer Fogt, OD
- Johanna Garzón, PhD
- Marcus Noyes, OD, FAAO, FSLS
- Shalu Pal, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, FIAOMC
- Keyur Patel, OD,
- Stephanie Ramdass, OD, MS, MBA, FAAO, FSLS
- Marcela Soria, OTC, OD
Let’s talk posters.
Absolutely! CLASS is currently accepting abstracts for posters that pertain to original clinical cases and research.
Note: For human subject-based research abstracts being submitted, all must have been performed under an institutional review board (IRB) and be in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki (a statement of ethical principles of medical research involving humans).
What topics are permitted?
- Contact lenses
- Corneal and OSD
- Myopia control
- Diagnosis and treatment approaches
- Technology-assisted treatment approaches
See here for abstract guidelines and criteria.
To submit an abstract, click here.
- Bonus: Abstracts selected to be presented during the symposium will be published online and be given a $100 discount on registration for the first author.
Any exhibitors in attendance?
See here for the complete list of event sponsors (including big names like Bausch + Lomb and CooperVision.
Nice! So when and where is this being held?
CLASS 2024 will kick off Sept. 5-7, 2024.
Location: Dallas, Texas (hotel details here)
And where can I register?
Registration fees and details can be found here.
Hint: Register by Aug. 15, 2024, to get the early rate discount.
Editor's note: This article was updated on July 16, 2024