International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE)

The Accreditation Examination was first developed in association with the US National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) and was first conducted in 1996. It has since been administered independently every 2 years.

As the examination is diagnostic in nature, there is no ‘failure’ and educators may sit for the examination as many times as they wish. A successful outcome allows the educator to apply to become a Fellow of IACLE (FIACLE).

The exam consists of 153 multiple-choice test items, including visual recognition and case-based questions. The topics covered are:

1. Anatomy & physiology of the anterior eye
2. Design & management of contact lenses
3. Principles of contact lens fitting
4. Patient examination and delivery of contact lenses
5. Care and maintenance of contact lenses
6. Ocular responses to contact lenses
7. Complications resulting from contact lenses
8. Special contact lens topics

Each exam candidate will receive a detailed confidential report of their results, including the raw scores for each of the sub-sections examined. The report indicates where a satisfactory level of knowledge is achieved and helps the candidate in identifying the areas where development is needed.

This exam remains to be the superior means of measuring contact lens knowledge. To date there is no other means like it which assesses one’s level of knowledge and identifies areas of deficiency at this capacity. Hence, a successful outcome is honoured with an invitation to become a ‘Fellow of IACLE’ (FIACLE). The FIACLE title encompasses a wealth of stature and defines one as a leader in their field.