Oct. 12, 2023 — BostonSight recently concluded its fifth annual FitAcademy Retreat for
Residents at the New England College of Optometry (NECO), a free event designed for emerging clinicians and contact lens residencies, fellowships at schools and colleges of optometry, and accredited fellowship sites in the U.S. and Canada.
Held at NECO’s Clinical Training Center in Boston, FitAcademy offered an opportunity for residents to learn about scleral lens fitting and assessment, including application and removal techniques, along with how to manage a range of corneal and ocular surface disorders like dry eye disease and keratoconus. Attendees comprised 29 cornea and contact lens residents who were able to attend in person for free for the full curriculum due to funding from BostonSight.
“It is a scleral lens educational program unlike any other,” says Jennifer Liao, O.D., FAAO, assistant professor of optometry at NECO and attending optometrist at the NECO Center for Eye Care. “Not only do residents learn creative techniques in fitting scleral lenses [but] they also learn skills to manage patients with complex ocular diseases from experts in this specialty.”
FitAcademy was led by Karen G. Carrasquillo, O.D., Ph.D., FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, BostonSight senior vice president of clinical and professional affairs, director of the FitAcademy program, and taught by BostonSight staff Bita Asghari, O.D., FAAO, FSLS, associate director of clinical education; Chirag Patel, O.D., FAAO, associate director of innovative technologies; Alan Kwok, O.D., FAAO, FSLS, director of Prose Network Clinical Relationships; and Daniel Brocks, M.D., chief medical officer and cornea specialist. Invited faculty include Clark Chang, O.D., MSA, MSc, FAAO, of Wills Eye Hospital; John D. Gelles, O.D., FIAO, FCLSA, FSLS, FBCLA, of the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute-Hersh Vision Group and the CLEI Center for Keratoconus; Daddi Fadel, DOptom, FSLS, FBCLA, FAAO, of the Center for Ocular Research and Education; Chantelle Mundy, O.D., FSLS, FFAO, of the Ohio State University College of Medicine; Anita Gulmiri, O.D., FAAO, of NECO and Tarsus Pharmaceuticals; and Jennifer Liao, O.D., FAAO, FSLS, of NECO.