International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE)

Choose 1 membership stream and 1 membership category.  Read on to learn which are the right ones for you...

Membership Streams

Members must be registered in one of two membership streams as outlined below:

• FIACLE Candidate Stream
• Regular Membership Stream

As of January 2010 all current and new members who wish to become a Fellow of IACLE (FIACLE) must register in the FIACLE Candidate Stream of membership.  Members registered in this stream, will now be required to enroll in the Distance Learning Program (may be waived by the Executive Committee) and participate in the Accreditation Examination (now available online).

The FIACLE Candidate fee is payable each year until the member achieves FIACLE status.  A member can elect to leave this stream at any time but at that point they will not be able to continue in the DLP or register for any administrations of the Accreditation Examination.  If they wish to re-enter the stream they will be required to once again pay the annual FIACLE Membership Stream fee.   A member must be registered in the FIACLE Candidate Stream for a minimum of 1 year before they are eligible to become a FIACLE.

Membership Categories

There are three membership categories which are assigned to all members due to their professional classifications, these are:

1. Full Member
2. Associate Member
3. Industry Member

FULL Membership

According to the IACLE Constitution a person is qualified to be a full member of the Association if, and only if the person is:

• Significantly involved either full-time or part-time in contact lens education in any form OR
• Is a staff member of a recognised teaching institution

The following should be included when applying:

• A letter from your institution confirming your status as a contact lens educator
• A copy of your curriculum vitae in English
• A full description of the contact lens courses offered at your institution
• A passport-sized photograph of yourself
• A bank draft or credit card details to cover your membership fees

If you do not qualify to become a full member of IACLE, you may be eligible to apply for either associate membership or industry membership.

ASSOCIATE Membership

A person is qualified to be an associate member of the Association if:

(a) The person contributes positively to contact lens education, but is not affiliated with a recognised institution
(b) The person is actively involved in IACLE, making use of IACLE resources
(c) The person is not eligible for full membership
(d) The person acts as a local professional consultant for any contact lens company
(e) The person actively teaches a minimum of 20% of the contact lens course (either didactic or clinical portion)
(f) The Executive Board has approved the person for associate membership in the Association

The following should be included when applying:

• A letter from your organisation confirming your involvement in contact lens education
• A copy of your curriculum vitae in English
• A passport-sized photograph of yourself
• A bank draft or credit card details to cover your membership fee
• Notification of your graduation from a recognised institution
• Present position at the company/hospital
• Details of whether you are fitting contact lenses in a clinic or optical store and the frequency thereof
• Number of hours of continuing education and/or training conducted together with details of your continuing education and/or training program involvement (minimum attendance of 4 CE's or 8-10 hours of lectures each year)
• Recommendation letter from a full member and head of your institution or company

Associate members will be kept up to date with IACLE activities through newsletters and quarterly reports and attendance and input to IACLE meetings conducted in their region are valid. However, associate members will not necessarily be eligible for IACLE sponsorship. IACLE associate members are eligible to sit for the IACLE Accreditation Examination and apply for FIACLE status.
Associate member fees are 1.5 times the rate of full membership and are based on the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) for your country.

INDUSTRY Membership

A person is qualified to be an industry member of the Association if:

(a) The industry member is actively involved in IACLE activities and the promotion of contact lens education, and contributes positively to the Association
(b) The Executive Board has approved the person for industry membership in the Association

The following should be included when applying:

• A letter from your organisation confirming your involvement in contact lens education
• A copy of your curriculum vitae in English
• A passport-sized photograph of yourself
• A bank draft or credit card details to cover your membership fees
• Present position at the company
• Notification of graduated institution
• Details of CE/training programs attended and conducted
• Recommendation letter from a full member and head of institution/company

Industry members will be kept up to date with IACLE activities through newsletters and quarterly reports and attendance and input to IACLE meetings conducted in their region are valid. However, industry members will not be eligible for IACLE sponsorship. IACLE industry members are also eligible to sit for the IACLE Accreditation Examination and apply for FIACLE status.