Recently graduated as a Master in Vision Sciences from the University of Nîmes, Alissa Pailhas now works in a custom-made lens fitting centre in the South of France. This centre has developed expertise in the field of keratoconus lenses, as well as orthokeratology, in order to respond precisely to the needs of each patient.

Alissa Pailhas conducted her final Masters experimental study on keratoconus. This study showed a linear correlation between the stage of keratoconus and the grade of meibomian gland dysfunction. This result indicates how to improve follow-up and appropriate management of patients with keratoconus.

Alissa Pailhas is curious by nature and constantly wants to expand her knowledge through conference papers and the latest scientific publications.

Dr. Asghari is an optometrist and the Associate Director of Clinical Education for BostonSight. She also serves as adjunct clinical faculty for MCPHS school of Optometry and New England College of Optometry (NECO). She completed her Doctorate in Optometry from Southern California College of Optometry, graduating summa cum laude. Prior to joining BostonSight, Dr. Asghari completed her PROSE clinical fellowship, as well as her post-doctoral residency in Cornea & Contact Lens and Ocular Disease from The Ohio State University Havener Eye Institute.

Key Account Manager, South America

Dr. Mundy is a clinical associate professor at The Ohio State University Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry and completed an ocular disease-based residency at the Cincinnati Eye Institute. She is program director of the Cornea and Contact Lens residency program and clinical instructor for both optometry students and ophthalmology residents. She is a fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society (SLS), a fellow in the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) a member of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and completed a PROSE clinical fellowship. Dr. Mundy is co-founder of the Advanced Specialty Contact Lens Clinic in the department and her interests include scleral lens fitting for advanced ocular surface and corneal disease. She received the 2022 Top Doc award from the National Keratoconus Foundation.

Edgar Dávila García graduado de la Escuela de Optometría de la Universidad Inter Americana de Puerto Rico en el 1996. Diplomado de la “Junta Nacional de Optómetras de los Estados Unidos” y con licencia para practicar la Optometría en Puerto Rico y en el estado de Texas EE. UU. El Dr. Dávila-García mantiene una práctica profesional especializada en lentes de contacto y tecnologías refractivas.

Eef van der Worp is an educator and researcher. He received his optometry degree from the Hogeschool van Utrecht in the Netherlands (NL) and has served as a head of the contact lens department at the school for over eight years. Eef received his PhD from the University of Maastricht (NL) in 2008. He now runs his own research & education consultancy ‘Eye-Contact-Lens’ which is based in Amsterdam (NL). He is a fellow of the AAO, BCLA and the SLS, a lifetime fellow of IACLE and an honorary life member of ANVC. He is on the education committee for the GSLS and the OVN.  Eef is adjunct assistant Professor at Pacific University College of Optometry (Oregon, USA), and adjunct Professor at the University of Montreal University College of Optometry (CA) and he is lecturing extensively worldwide and is a guest lecturer at a number of Universities in the US and Europe.

Dr. Haroun, FAAO, completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh before pursuing her optometric training at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. She stayed in Columbus to complete a residency in Cornea, Contact Lens and Ocular Disease at The Ohio State University Department of Ophthalmology – Havener Eye Insitute. She is now a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center- Mercy Vision Insitute providing care for patients within the Specialty Contact Lens Clinic.

Gerard comes from a long line of opticians (grandparents, father and brother are all opticians). He graduated from the Christiaan Huygenschool (optics) in Rotterdam, and started working as a contact lens specialist in 1985. Since then he has been a member of the ANVC (Dutch Contact Lens Association). He has specialized in both rigid and soft lens fitting and has worked as a consultant for many industry partners, and tested different (specialty) lenses in his practice for the industry. He works as Ralph Optiek in the center of Amsterdam. His experience includes specialty lenses, such as orthokeratology, rigid corneal lenses after refractive surgery and fitting of custom soft lenses. Customization of lens fiting using corneal topography data and multifocal (rigid corneal and soft) lens fitting are two of the main challenges, but also opportunities he sees for your profession.

Jennifer Meerding graduated as an optometrist in 2015 and worked since then in different optometry settings. She has experience in refractive and cataract surgery, fitting many types of contact lenses including specialty contact lenses, and myopia control. As she aims for gaining knowledge, expanding her horizons in healthcare she obtained her MSc in Health Education and Promotion from UM (Maastricht University, the Netherlands) in 2019. The program focuses on different topics of health education such as psychology, communication, epidemiology, sociology, and political science.

Given the fact that this program is multidisciplinary it allowed her to develop and take a broader position not only within the field of optometry but in healthcare as whole. Since then, she started combining her work as an optometrist with her role as health promoter. She enjoys providing eyecare, fitting contact lenses and giving lectures on eye health related topics at schools. Furthermore she is passionate about health promotion and myopia prevention especially when it comes to understanding and changing health-related behaviour from the individual and environmental perspective.

Joe is a QARA Consultant and the Director of MedRAS – a medical device consultancy firm, which he established in 2022, supporting organizations across the medical device industry. He has worked within the medical devices industry for over 10 years, in various roles and has a Batchelor of Science degree in Dental Technology.

Josh Adams is the Vice President of Valley Contax in Springfield OR USA. He has been involved in the custom contact lens industry for 29 years and is currently president of the CLMA.  He has lectured on custom contact lenses all over the world and in his free time enjoys spending time with his family and watercolor painting.

Dr. Karen G. Carrasquillo is Senior Vice President of Clinical and Professional Affairs at BostonSight. In addition, she is an adjunct clinical professor at the New England College of Optometry, an adjunct clinical professor at the school of optometry, MCPHS University, Advisory Board member for the Gas Permeable Lens Institute (GPLI), Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO), Fellow of the Educational Society of Scleral Lenses (FSLS), Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association (FBCLA), and Global Ambassador of the BCLA. She is the founder and Program Chair of FitAcademy, an educational retreat in cornea and scleral lenses, and is also a planning committee member for the International Congress of Scleral Contacts (ICSC) Meeting and Global Ophthalmic Women (GLOW) meeting.

Owner and Consulting Manager of LuxAR Argentina, Marcela Soria has been a contact lens optician since 1990. She is a member of the Scleral Lens Education Society and specialises in customised lenses for keratoconus and irregular corneas. Currently, she is a consultant and laboratory researcher for Mediphacos Brasil in the development of new products for irregular corneas and dry eye.

Marianne Lindenberg is a Dutch optometrist. She specializes in fitting medical contact lenses for patients with a variety of eye conditions. Currently she practices at Oculenti Contactlenzen. In addition to her clinical work, Marianne serves as an independent professional affairs consultant for Johnson & Johnson, where she shares her expertise with other eye care professionals. Marianne is also a member of the research group of the Netherlands Contact Lens Congress (NCC).

Martin Conway has over 40 years’ experience in the contact lens field as a qualified Contact Lens Optician. He is registered with the UK General Optical Council on the Speciality Contact Lens Register. Martin is a fellow of the British Contact Lens Association (FBCLA), and The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE). He has served in the Professional Services role as an educator and clinical adviser on behalf of both Sauflon and CIBA, and now acts as Professional Services Consultant for Contamac. Martin has lectured extensively in Europe, Asia, Russia, North and South America and the Middle East.

Dr. Melissa Barnett is a Principal Optometrist at the UC Davis Eye Center in Sacramento. She is an internationally recognized key opinion leader, specializing in anterior segment disease and specialty contact lenses. She is a Fellow of the AAO, a Diplomate of the ABCMO, a Fellow of the BCLA and serves on the Board of AOA Cornea and Contact Lens Council, WOV, GPLI and SLS.

Professor Caroline serves as an instructor and lecturer at the Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon. He is a Fellow member and Diplomat of the Cornea and Contact Lens Section of the American Academy of Optometry. He has published over 300 papers on a wide range of contact lens topics and has lectured extensively throughout the world.

Sales & Commercial Manager

Sharon Qiu, OD, MS is a residency-trained optometrist with a passion for specialty contact lenses. She completed an OD/MS dual degree at the New England College of Optometry, where she graduated as the valedictorian of the Class of 2022. After graduation, Dr. Qiu completed a residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Qiu is currently pursuing a full-time PhD in Vision Science at the University of Waterloo Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE). She is also serving as a part-time attending optometrist and supervisor for 4th year student interns at the University of Waterloo Contact Lens and Myopia Control Clinic. Her ultimate goal is to become a clinician scientist. She aspires to make a positive impact on her patients’ life, both at an individual level as a clinician, and at a global level as a researcher.

Surgical, Contamac

Thibaud SYRE, co-founder of AlpesVision, an advanced optometry clinic located in Grenoble, is an expert in specialty contact lenses, with particular attention on orthokeratology and scleral lenses. He is a member of various organizations such as the French Association of Contact Lens Experts, the Scleral Lens Education Society, and the European Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control.

Thibaud had a passion for designing custom geometries for Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lenses. His skills are in high demand as he serves as a consultant for various contact lens manufacturers.

Furthermore, Thibaud is a respected keynote speaker at major congress throughout France, sharing his insights and advancements in the field of optometry with his peers and industry professionals.

Dr. Skoog is a clinical instructor at the Illinois College of Optometry in the cornea and contact lens department, where he previously completed a residency. He lectures on anterior segment disease and contact lenses. He has no disclosures.