February 2026
Happy New Year! I hope you, your families, and friends had a wonderful Holiday season and are looking forward to 2026.
In ancient Roman myth, Janus (for which the name of the month of January originated) was the god of beginnings and endings, depicted by a double-sided head looking forward and backwards. Thus, January is a good time to look retrospectively at accomplishment, issues, and trends from the previous year, and to set goals and priorities for the coming year. The GPLI has completed arguably its best year ever in 2025! We are thankful to the scores of doctors and our industry partners who provided support in all phases of the business. We would not be able to have the many successes without your contributions.
A sample of GPLI’s activities in 2025 included:
- A very successful Cornea and Contact Lens Resident Symposium and Specialty Contact Lens Symposium totaling 67 attendees
- Ongoing content additions to the refreshed GPLI website including:
- Contact Lens Essentials for Staff
- Contact Lens Essentials for Consultants
- More than 100 recorded webinars
- New collaborations with AAOMC and CLSA with reduced rates for access to content for our members, as well as continued collaboration with I-site Newsletter, ICSC, Contact Lens Spectrum, and IKA.
- Yearly membership survey with year over year trending.
- Refreshing the patient-facing website contactlenses.org with updated content and a new GP Expert finder database.
- 13 clinician webinars on various topics. 16 clinician webinars are planned for 2026, plus 4 student webinars.
- Quarterly GPLI Radio episodes – 13 total now completed
- 6 publications of the online journal The Advisor by GPLI
- Nearly a dozen active project teams, 76 Advisory Board Members, 15 Cornea and Contact Lens Resident Advisory Board members, 800+ ECP members, and over 2000 student members.
For 2026, we will continue to strengthen our commitment to being First in Education. We have developed a 5-year strategic plan that will challenge us all to achieve even greater heights of success as an organization. The plan consists of five primary goals that are planned over the period. These goals are:
- Expand Educational Reach and Impact: Broaden access to GPLI’s educational content and increase engagement across all levels of eye care professionals.
- Enhance Digital Infrastructure: Modernize GPLI’s digital platforms to improve user experience and content delivery.
- Strengthen Industry and Academic Partnerships: Leverage collaborations to co-create content, fund initiatives, and expand influence.
- Grow Membership and Enhance Knowledge Sharing: Build a vibrant, loyal community of members who actively contribute to and benefit from GPLI.
- Ensure Financial Sustainability: Diversify revenue streams and build reserves to support long-term growth.
Each strategic goal is supported by specific objectives and tasks, as well as key performance indicators to measure our success. I am happy to answer any questions and welcome your feedback.
As we continue into 2026, please let us know how we can better serve you. The success of the GPLI depends on your support, and I hope that the GPLI in turn gives our members better clinical outcomes, an improved arsenal of tools and methods, and the motivation to make a difference every day.
It has been my honor to serve as president of the GPLI. I look forward to a wonderful 2026!
– Derrell James
