WHAT IS IACLE

The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) is an educational association dedicated to raising the standard of contact lens education and promoting the safe use of contact lenses worldwide. IACLE aims to:

• increase the number of qualified contact lens educators
  
• improve the quality of contact lens teaching and provide an educational infrastructure,
  
• thereby increasing the number of skilled contact lens practitioners.

IACLE MEMBERSHIP

IACLE has on average 500 members from approximately 60 countries worldwide. Membership is open to Optometrists, Ophthalmologists, Opticians, and Contactologists who are active contact lens educators. There are three categories of IACLE Membership:

1) Full Membership
2) Associate Educator Membership
3) Associate Industry Membership

WHO CAN JOIN

IACLE membership is open to persons who are:

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

The IACLE Executive Board. must approve all membership applications.

For further information on membership and an application form please refer to IACLE Membership.

EDUCATING THE EDUCATORS

IACLE has developed a very effective four-step approach to educating contact lens educators. We continue to enhance contact lens education through this model by:

• building the foundation for contact lens knowledge
  
• measuring and gauging academic success
  
• providing educational and remediation programs, and
  
• providing on-going support to educators and practitioners

FOUNDATION FOR CONTACT LENS KNOWLEDGE

The IACLE Contact Lens Course

The IACLE Contact Lens Course is a comprehensive program, consisting of lectures, practical sessions and tutorials, which equip the educator with the materials needed in order to teach a high quality contact lens course. Each module of the ten-module series is available on CD-ROM, which gives the educator access to colour pictures, diagrams and text slides.

It has been a priority to provide these teaching materials in their members' native languages, particularly Chinese, Spanish and Bahasa, which has resulted in an enormous translation effort.

IACLE Resources

IACLE generates and/or sources and distributes educational resources including books, journals and videos. IACLE has established Resource Centers, managed by IACLE members, where the educational resources are housed and which can be accessed by other educators and students.

THE MEASURE AND GAUGE OF SUCCESS

IACLE Accreditation Examination

IACLE has developed standards of measurement, such as the IACLE Accreditation Examination. The Accreditation Examination provides a mechanism by which educators can assess their own areas of expertise and identify any areas of weakness or lack of knowledge. For IACLE, the examination is a valuable diagnostic tool in the creation of educator training programs and the development of resources. The Accreditation Exam is conducted every two years.

Student Trial Exams

The Student Trial Exam provides students with an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses and aids in preparing them for their final examinations.

IACLE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Remediation Programs

By developing standards that measure the impact IACLE is having on contact lens education, we have been able to target potential areas of weakness. The next step was to develop programs to assist educators in raising their level of knowledge and skill. This is accomplished through education and remediation programs such as the Distance Learning Program (DLP) and the International Mentor-Understudy Program.

The DLP is a distance education initiative, and is based on the IACLE Contact Lens Course. The purpose of the DLP is to help educators to improve their knowledge of contact lenses by systematically studying each module.

While a significant number of contact lens educators in the world have limited access to educational resources such as journals and textbooks, others have easy access to considerable resources and knowledge relating to contact lenses. For this reason, the IACLE Mentor/Understudy program has been introduced. The mentor has committed to sharing information and, wherever possible, resources and to assist the understudy in improving his/her knowledge and skills as a contact lens educator.

Fellow of IACLE (FIACLE) and the FIACLE Leadership Program

With successful completion of the Accreditation Examination, IACLE Full and Associate members are eligible to apply for the distinguished title, Fellow of IACLE (FIACLE). FIACLEs are then asked to reinvest the knowledge they have gained through IACLE so that they may assist others in their countries and regions. The FIACLE Leadership Program will involve FIACLEs in the presentation of continuing education to practitioners and other educators at the local level.

IACLE Educator Fellowship Program

International Educator fellowships are an effective training mechanism in which educators gain exposure to contact lens education, research and practice at another teaching institution. The program offers educators the opportunity to gain further knowledge in speciality areas of teaching and study. IACLE also encourages local educator fellowships, and reverse educator fellowships. In this way, we bring the program to the educators, as it is not always possible to bring the educators to the program.

ONGOING SUPPORT TO EDUCATORS

Educator Meetings

IACLE Educator Meetings include both didactic and hands-on workshops, covering topics that will help to improve the delivery of materials to students as well as those concerning the latest research in contact lenses. These lectures and workshops cover topics that will address particular areas of weakness that have been identified through the Accreditation Examination results, Student Trial Exams and Graduate Surveys for the region.

Country Coordinators

IACLE employs Regional Coordinators in Latin America, Africa/Middle East and Europe. National Coordinators are employed in India, China, Indonesia and the Philippines. We understand that there are many countries where the contact lens market is growing rapidly and contact lens education must be improved quickly. Therefore, we have targeted active members to become voluntary Area Representatives. Currently, we have Area Representatives in Taiwan, Malaysia/Singapore, Mexico, Egypt and France.

As can be expected, the educational infrastructure and contact lens market vary from one country to another. Therefore, IACLE Coordinators and Area Representatives play a pivotal role in identifying educational needs for their region or country, and as a result have been instrumental in developing and driving programs. Once established, these programs are assessed, tailored accordingly and expanded on an international level to benefit other educators.