Spotlight on the 2024 Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS)

January 2024

Once again, the GP Lens Institute/CLMA was a proud Gold Sponsor for the GSLS held January 17-20 in Las Vegas. We had a booth manned by GPLI (and CLMA) Administrative Director Beth Anderzhon, Associate Director Dr. Tom Quinn, and Executive Director Dr. Ed Bennett. The CLMA and GPLI Board of Directors meetings were held on January 17^th followed by an advisory luncheon with contact lens educators at the Schools and Colleges of Optometry on Saturday, January 20^th.

The highlight of the symposium for the GPLI was, once again, the Rising Stars Awards Reception on Saturday night. For the third consecutive year, major league baseball player – and keratoconus patient – Tommy Pham, coming off of a good year culminating in the World Series, presented a brief keynote address and co-presented the “Thomas J. ‘Tommy’ Pham GPLI-NKCF Keratoconus Practitioner of the Year award to a deserving Dr. Greg DeNaeyer.

A total of 13 individuals were honored including the introduction of the Dr. Edward Boshnick Excellence in Scleral Lenses Award to three deserving former residents and the GPLI Alumni Gift Award to a current resident. Two icons in the profession, Paragon Vision Sciences founder Don Ratkowski, and long-time CLMA laboratory owner, Board member and collaborator with Dr. Robert Mandell, Carl Moore received our Thomas E. Anastor Distinguished Service Award.

Our highest honor, the Naomi “Jo” Svochak GP Practitioner of the Year Award was presented to a very deserving Dr. Brooke Messer after a very emotional introduction by her mentor and former practice partner (and 2024 GPLI Educator of the Year) Dr. Jason Jedlicka. The complete list of award recipients is provided below.

Finally, 22 years after Dr. Bennett debated him at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, he once again debated Professor Efron on the topic “RGPs versus Soft Lenses: The Great Debate 2.0”. The contribution of several of GPLI Advisory Board members and educators as well Dr. Kerry Giedd, and Beth Anderzhon, were very important to this presentation and greatly appreciated.