LANDOVER, Md.--After four annual educational events, the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) quietly pulled the plug on its Contact Lens and Eyecare Symposium (CLES) a few months ago, canceling the 2007 CLES with no formal announcement.
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| Ed Schilling |
Instead, the group is evaluating “new initiatives” that may include revival of the Contact Lens Council as a marketing/educational tool for the contact lens industry, according to Ed Schilling, CLI executive director.
“We’re currently working on new initiatives for the industry,” Schilling said, acknowledging that among the options under consideration is a revival of the Contact Lens Council. He said a decision on future plans is expected to be made during next month’s American Academy of Optometry meeting.
Since the inaugural CLES, held in January 2003 in Orlando, Fla., the event consistently drew attendance in the 1,000 to 1,200 range, according to CLES organizers. However, the proportion of eyecare professionals among those attendees had eroded from just over 700 at the first CLES to around 500 at the most recent event, held Jan. 11 to 14 of this year in Orlando.
In addition, the CLI board has changed since the symposium was first proposed, with some of the strongest CLES supporters no longer on the board.
The Contact Lens Institute’s members include Advanced Medical Optics, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, the CIBA Vision division of Novartis, CooperVision and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care’s Vistakon division. --Cathy CiccolellaLANDOVER, Md.--After four annual educational events, the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) quietly pulled the plug on its Contact Lens and Eyecare Symposium (CLES) a few months ago, canceling the 2007 CLES with no formal announcement.
Instead, the group is evaluating “new initiatives” that may include revival of the Contact Lens Council as a marketing/educational tool for the contact lens industry, according to Ed Schilling, CLI executive director.
“We’re currently working on new initiatives for the industry,” Schilling said, acknowledging that among the options under consideration is a revival of the Contact Lens Council. He said a decision on future plans is expected to be made during next month’s American Academy of Optometry meeting.
Since the inaugural CLES, held in January 2003 in Orlando, Fla., the event consistently drew attendance in the 1,000 to 1,200 range, according to CLES organizers. However, the proportion of eyecare professionals among those attendees had eroded from just over 700 at the first CLES to around 500 at the most recent event, held Jan. 11 to 14 of this year in Orlando.
In addition, the CLI board has changed since the symposium was first proposed, with some of the strongest CLES supporters no longer on the board.
The Contact Lens Institute’s members include Advanced Medical Optics, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, the CIBA Vision division of Novartis, CooperVision and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care’s Vistakon division. --Cathy Ciccolella