Retreat will be held at New England College of Optometry
Needham, Mass. –September 7, 2021 – BostonSight, a nonprofit eye healthcare organization and research center dedicated to saving sight and improving quality of life for patients, announced today they will host their annual FitAcademy™ Retreat for Residents at New England College of Optometry (NECO) in Boston, September 17-19, 2021.
FitAcademy 2019. FitAcademy 2020 was held virtually.
FitAcademy for Residents is available to cornea and contact lens residents and fellows at the 25 schools and colleges of optometry throughout the United States and Canada.
FitAcademy will be held at NECO’s Clinical Training Center, where residents will learn about scleral lens fitting and assessment and how to manage and co-manage a range of corneal and ocular surface disorders, including dry eye disease and keratoconus. In addition to the educational component, FitAcademy’s intimate setting provides residents a unique opportunity to collaborate with fellow residents, strengthening their professional connections as they begin their careers.
This year, 27 cornea and contact lens residents will attend in person for the full curriculum, which includes a hands-on wet lab training, with invited primary care residents participating virtually during the didactic sessions. Thanks to sponsorship, students attend FitAcademy at no cost.
“We are delighted we can provide this opportunity at no cost thanks to our sponsors, the John W. Henry Family Foundation, NECO, and Contamac,” said Dr. Karen G. Carrasquillo, OD, PhD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, BostonSight’s VP of Clinical and Professional Affairs and chief architect of the program. “Scleral lens education is vital for new clinicians, as the need for specialty lenses to treat ocular surface disease continues to grow.”
FitAcademy is led by Dr. Carrasquillo and taught by BostonSight staff Dr. Bita Asghari, OD, FAAO, Associate Director of Clinical Education; Dr. Chirag Patel, OD, FAAO, Associate Director of Innovative Technologies; Dr. Alan Kwok, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Director of PROSE™ Network Clinical Relationships; and Dr. Daniel Brocks, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Cornea Specialist. In addition, each year FitAcademy invites notable guest faculty. This year, Dr. Gloria Chiu, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at USC Roski Eye Institute, will present along with NECO faculty Dr. Kellen Riccobono, OD, FAAO, Adjunct Assistant Professor; Dr. Jennifer Liao, OD, FAAO, Assistant Professor of Optometry; and Dr. Anita Gulmiri, OD, FAAO, Assistant Professor of Clinical Optometry.
Learn more about FitAcademy at https://www.bostonsight.org/practitioners/education/fitacademy/.
About NECO
New England College of Optometry is a nationally recognized, top-tier optometry school that prepares the next generation of eye care providers, educators, and innovators through a rigorous curriculum and extensive clinical experiences. NECO graduates compassionate and skilled optometrists prepared to practice in diverse settings. More at neco.edu.
About BostonSight®
BostonSight has saved the sight of thousands of individuals suffering from ocular surface disease, corneal disease, injury, or damage. Founded in 1992, the Needham, MA, Center of Excellence includes a clinic, research center, and state-of-the-art FDA-certified and ISO-compliant manufacturing lab. BostonSight PROSE™ Treatment is available at top medical centers around the U.S., Canada, and India. BostonSight SCLERAL was launched to expand access to global scleral lens technology. BostonSight SCLERAL has partnerships with Spectrum International in Latin America and L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in the Middle East and India.
Contact:
Michele Hart
BostonSight
(617) 669-4225
mhart@bostonsight.org
