BostonSight Holds Annual FitAcademy Retreat for Cornea and Contact Lens Residents and Fellows
Needham, Mass. –September 30, 2025 – BostonSight®, a nonprofit eye healthcare organization, held its annual FitAcademy™ Retreat for Cornea and Contact Lens Residents and Fellows at New England College of Optometry (NECO) in Boston, September 12-13, 2025.
This year marked the seventh annual event bringing together cornea and contact lens residents and fellows from sites throughout the United States and Canada for a weekend packed with top clinical content. This year, 33 residents attended the event, which included hands-on wet lab training. Thanks to funding from BostonSight and support from sponsors, students attend FitAcademy at little to no cost.
FitAcademy for Residents remains a core component of BostonSight’s educational arm as BostonSight works to expand access to scleral lenses and the best clinical care around the world.
“We are incredibly grateful for our sponsors—NECO, Glaukos Corporation, Contamac, and Tangible Science,” said Karen G. Carrasquillo, OD, PhD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, BostonSight’s Chief Innovation and Education Officer and director of the FitAcademy program. “Their support not only makes this program possible for residents at the start of their careers, but also demonstrates their strong commitment to nurturing and guiding the next generation of optometrists.”
FitAcademy is led by Dr. Carrasquillo and taught by BostonSight staff Dr. Chirag Patel, OD, FAAO, 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. The invited faculty include Clark Chang, OD, MSA, MSc, FAAO of Wills Eye Hospital; Anita Gulmiri, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Medical Ambassador, Lenz Therapeutics and Faculty at New England College of Optometry; Jennifer Liao, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Assistant Professor of Optometry at New England College of Optometry; Avani Dave, OD, FAAO, Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, and Director of Optometry and Contact Lens Service at Ross Eye Institute; Sheila Morrison, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS, FCCSO, Mission Eye Care Center for Dry Eye and Corneal Disease, Cornea and Contact Lens Residency Supervisor, and adjunct faculty at NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry; and Stephanie Pisano, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Optometrist & Optometry Division Director at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
FitAcademy was held at NECO’s newly constructed Clinical Training Center in Boston, MA. Each year, invitations are sent to residency sites from BostonSight. If you are a cornea and contact lens residency director and would like to be added to our invite list, please visit https://www.bostonsight.org/practitioners/education/fitacademy/
About NECO
New England College of Optometry is a private, nonprofit, and internationally recognized optometry school. We prepare the next generation of eye care providers, educators, and innovators through rigorous curriculum, extensive clinical experiences, state-of-the-art facilities, and a strong support network. As an independent optometry school, we focus solely on optometry. Founded in 1894, NECO is the oldest continuously operating optometry school in the U.S. and has been advancing optometric education ever since.
About Glaukos
Glaukos (www.glaukos.com) is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical and medical technology company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, corneal disorders, and retinal diseases. Glaukos first developed Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) as an alternative to the traditional glaucoma treatment paradigm, launching its first MIGS device commercially in 2012. In 2024, Glaukos commenced commercial launch activities for iDose® TR, a first-of-its-kind, long-duration, intracameral procedural pharmaceutical designed to deliver 24/7 glaucoma drug therapy inside the eye for extended periods of time. Glaukos also markets the only FDA-approved corneal cross-linking therapy utilizing a proprietary bio-activated pharmaceutical for the treatment of keratoconus, a rarely diagnosed corneal disorder. Glaukos continues to successfully develop and advance a robust pipeline of novel, dropless platform technologies designed to meaningfully advance the standard of care and improve outcomes for patients suffering from chronic eye diseases.
About BostonSight®
BostonSight is a nonprofit eye healthcare organization that advances the treatment of irregular corneas and ocular surface disease through specialty lenses. Our ongoing commitment to research and achieving optimal patient outcomes via innovative specialty lens designs, education, and technology has saved the sight of thousands of people around the world. Learn more at www.bostonsight.org.
Contact: Michele Hart
BostonSight
781-675-9872
mhart@bostonsight.org
but an ultra-rare genetic version, linked to the P525L FUS mutation. Doctors told him to expect only one to three years.
Jacob, once an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting, fishing, and working as a machinist and a welder, suddenly faced a future of increasing paralysis and loss. Yet, through determination, faith, and access to an experimental drug called ION363—nicknamed “Jacifusen”—he has lived beyond those initial predictions. Even as the disease advanced, Jacob and his family found new ways to fight for quality of life.
One of the most unexpected breakthroughs came not from a drug or machine, but from a pair of lenses.
Communication is one of the cruelest battlegrounds in ALS. Before his eye paralysis, Jacob was lightning-fast on an eye-gaze computer system, astonishing his speech therapist with his speed. He could email, text, and even shop online almost as quickly as before his diagnosis. In fact, it was almost as if his family could have regular conversations with Jacob. As his voice deteriorated, Jacob’s family connected with Bridging Voice, a nonprofit based in New York City, who assists ALS families with communication technology. They were put in touch with ElevenLabs, who uses clips of a person’s voice to create an electronic voice. Using videos, they created an AI duplicate that sounded almost identical to Jacob.
When he lost the ability to move his eyes, that option disappeared. Today, he communicates using a neuro-node system connected to his leg muscles. Though slower, it still allows him to share his thoughts and direct his smart home devices. Today, scleral lenses make it possible for him to keep his eyes open, protected, and moisturized, allowing him to interact with his environment and preserve the vital connection between his mind and the outside world.
For the Harper family, the lenses are more than a medical tool. They are a bridge. They have enabled Jacob to remain present in everyday moments, whether watching movies with his parents, listening to vinyl records, or taking long drives, where his father straps him into his beloved Mustang and takes him out on the open road.
ALS is a disease defined by relentless loss: the loss of movement, speech, independence, and time. But in Jacob’s case, scleral lenses hit the pause button, allowing him to maintain communication longer. They offer comfort, vision, and dignity in the face of one of life’s harshest challenges. And in doing so, they keep open a window to the world that would have otherwise closed too soon.
Learn more about Jacob’s journey at www.