BostonSight – annual FitAcademy™ Retreat

BostonSight^®, a nonprofit eye healthcare organization that advances the treatment of diseased and damaged corneas and dry eyes held their annual FitAcademy^™ Retreat for Residents at New England College of Optometry (NECO) in Boston, September 15-16, 2023.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of this free event for emerging clinicians in cornea and contact lens residencies and fellowships at schools and colleges of optometry and accredited fellowship sites throughout the United States and Canada.

FitAcademy was held at NECO’s Clinical Training Center, where residents learned about scleral lens fitting and assessment, how to manage and co-manage a range of corneal and ocular surface disorders, including dry eye disease and keratoconus, and scleral lens application and removal techniques. 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, 29 cornea and contact lens residents attended in person for the full curriculum, which included a hands-on wet lab training. Thanks to funding by BostonSight and support from sponsors, students attend FitAcademy for free.

“We are incredibly grateful for our sponsors, the John W. Henry Family Foundation, NECO, Glaukos Corporation, Contamac, and Tangible Science,” said Dr. Karen G. Carrasquillo, OD, PhD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, BostonSight’s Senior VP of Clinical and Professional Affairs and director of the FitAcademy program. “Their support and collaboration allow us to provide scleral lens education to emerging clinicians and future key opinion leaders, as the need for specialty lenses continues to grow.” 

“The educational program of FitAcademy offers our Cornea and Contact Lens residents skills to be life-changing providers for their future patients,” shares Dr. Jennifer Liao Assistant Professor of Optometry at NECO and Attending Optometrist at NECO Center for Eye Care. “Not only do residents learn creative techniques in fitting scleral lenses, they also learn skills to manage patients with complex ocular diseases from experts in this specialty. It is a scleral lens educational program unlike any other.”

Learn more about FitAcademy at https://www.bostonsight.org/practitioners/education/fitacademy/