JCM Webinar | State-of-the-Art Management of Eye Diseases with Scleral Lenses
JCM Webinar | State-of-the-Art Management of Eye Diseases with Scleral Lenses
Part of the Webinars on Clinical Medicine series
17 September 2025
Scleral Lenses, Corneal Irregularity, keratoconus, Irregular Astigmatism, Ocular Surface Disease, Dry Eye Disease, Midday Fogging, Higher Order Abberations
Welcome from the Chair
26th JCM Webinar
State-of-the-Art Management of Eye Diseases with Scleral Lenses
Scleral lenses have become a popular treatment modality, most commonly for irregular astigmatism but also for ocular surface disease. These lenses allow patients to improve their vision while often delaying the need for corneal transplants for diseases such as keratoconus. Scleral lenses also function to protect the cornea and conjunctiva in patients with ocular surface disease, thus allowing patients to regain eye comfort and maintain daily activities.
Scleral lenses are more readily available to providers with a variety of fitting sets and designs available. However, as with any medical device, scleral lenses need to be fit properly to function well and maintain the health of the ocular surface. A poorly fit lens and unrecognized or untreated ocular disease could lead to visual complications.
Join scleral lens experts to learn which patients benefit most from scleral lenses. Learn how the lens interacts with the ocular surface, what ocular complications may be common in lens wear, and the potential scleral lenses may have in the future to further refine vision.
Date: 17 September, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
Webinar ID: 831 6932 8423
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Event Chairs
Cherie B. Nau, O.D., FAAO, FSLS, is an Associate Professor in Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in 2011 and completed a contact lens residency with Davis Duehr Dean in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2012. Her career began in 1996 with clinical research in glaucoma and cornea at the Mayo Clinic. She is an active member of the Scleral Lens in Current Ophthalmic Practice Evaluation (SCOPE) research group. Dr. Nau received the American Optometric Society’s Carl Zeiss Fellowship and the Vistakon/AOF Sheldon Wechsler Contact Lens Residency Award. She also serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Keynote Speakers
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Gloria B Chiu, OD, FAAO, FSLS Dr. Chiu is an Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the USC Roski Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. She received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry, and completed a residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses at the Southern California College of Optometry, where she still serves as an adjunct faculty member. Her clinical interests include contact lens fittings and treatment for patients with ocular surface disease and irregular corneas. Her research interests include microbial contamination in contact lens-related solutions and effects of scleral lens wear on the ocular surface and optic nerve. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the Scleral Lens Education Society, a member of the California Optometric Association, and serves on the Board of Directors at the Dry Eye Foundation. She was named one of America’s Best Eye Doctors by Newsweek and GP Practitioner of the Year by the Gas Permeable Lens Institute.
Centre for Vision and Eye Research, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Professor Vincent is the Director of the Centre for Vision and Eye Research at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. His research focuses on visual optics, myopia, and specialty contact lenses. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, the British Contact Lens Association, the Scleral Lens Education Society, the Australian College of Optometry, and the Higher Education Academy. Steve is a Visiting Professor of the West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, and serves as an Associate Editor of Contact Lens and Anterior Eye.
University of Houston College of Optometry, USA
Maria Walker is a clinician scientist at the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) with a lab focusing on scleral lens and keratoconus research. She received an OD and MS degree from The New England College of Optometry in 2013 and completed a one-year Cornea and Contact Lens Residency at Pacific University in Oregon. She then completed a PhD in physiological optics at UHCO with a dissertation entitled, “The Impact of a Scleral Lens on the Eye”. Dr. Walker is currently a tenure-tracked assistant professor at UHCO, where she teaches the didactic contact lens course, is a clinical attending in the cornea and contact lens service, and spends the remainder of her time on translational research projects, including evaluating outcomes with scleral lenses.
College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, USA
Jason Marsack is a scientist/engineer with a passion for teaching and a strong interest in applied and translational research. His laboratory at The University of Houston, College of Optometry, focuses on developing and translating optical correction strategies for eyes with poor visual quality to the clinical environment and investigating the relationship between optical quality and visual performance. Dr. Marsack teaches geometric optics to students in the optometry professional program, and advanced optical topics to students in the physiological optics program, and he mentors students seeking M.S. and/or Ph.D. degrees.
Registration
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in EDT |
|
Dr. Cherie B. Nau (Chair) Chair Introduction |
8:00 – 8:05 pm |
|
Dr. Gloria B. Chiu (Speaker 1) Who Would Benefit from Scleral Lenses? |
8:05 – 8:25 pm |
|
Prof. Dr. Stephen J. Vincent (Speaker 2) Implications of Scleral Lenses for the Ocular Surface. |
8:25 – 8:45 pm |
|
Dr. Maria K. Walker (Speaker 3) Do Scleral Lenses Affect the Tear Film? |
8:45 – 9:05 pm |
|
Dr. Jason D. Marsack (Speaker 4) Making a Case for Measuring Higher Order Aberrations and Prescribing Wavefront-Guided Scleral Lenses. |
9:05 – 9:25 pm |
|
Q&A |
9:25 – 9:40 pm |
|
Dr. Cherie B. Nau (Chair) Closing of Webinar |
9:40 – 9:45 pm |
Relevant Special Issue
The Role of Scleral Lenses in the Management of Eye Disease
Edited by Dr. Cherie B. Nau
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
