That’s a Wrap: ICSC 2025

This year’s International Congress of Scleral Contacts (ICSC) meeting hit the road again and ended up at a new destination, this time taking place at The Westin Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, June 20-21. The 2-day meeting attracted 121 attendees and offered 4.5 hours of continuing education credit. In a post-event survey, attendees reported that they enjoyed the location and venue.

Brooke Messer, OD, FAAO, FSLS; John Gelles, OD, FAAO, FIAO, FCLSA, FSLS, FBCLA; and Ariel Cerenzie, OD, FAAO, FSLS, returned for their second year as program chairs, and additionally, Drs. Messer and Gelles served as lead instructors of the meeting’s Masters track, while Dr. Cerenzie performed the duties of lead instructor for the Foundations track. Attendees were able to select the track they felt suited them best at registration; the tracks took place only on Friday and ran simultaneously (Figure 1).

HOW IT STARTED

The ICSC meeting began at 7:00 am on Friday, June 20, with breakfast offered in the exhibitor area, giving practitioners a chance to fuel up for the day and speak with representatives from the different companies. At 8:00 am, attendees gathered in the general session room to hear the program chairs deliver their opening remarks, followed by the meeting’s keynote lecturer, Muriel Schornack, OD, FAAO, FSLS, an associate professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her talk was titled “Do We Know What We Think We Know” (Figure 2), and during it, she questioned some “known” facts about scleral lenses and referred to numerous clinical studies.

Scholarships to attend the meeting were offered to members of YoungOD Connect, Modern Optometry’s affiliate membership-based community and educational platform aimed at helping new and soon-to-be optometrists practice full scope to advance optometry as a profession and practitioners as individuals. A selected number of practicing optometrists who posted about the meeting on social media and completed an application form in compliance with all terms and conditions of the offer were awarded complimentary registration to the meeting, plus hotel accommodations at The Westin Charlotte over the two nights of the meeting.

After a panel discussion on how to add new technology to a practice, followed by a short break with exhibitors, attendees broke off into either the Masters track, which offered advanced information for experienced practitioners wishing to refine and expand their scleral lens knowledge, or the Foundations track, which was geared to practitioners in the early stages of scleral lens fitting.

Noha Seif, OD, owner of the Contact Lens Institute of Seattle in Seattle, Washington, shared some thoughts on the meeting. “My favorite part of the Masters track was that, as experienced fitters, we were able to respectfully discuss nuances in management styles and see different points of view in scleral lens design and management. Conversing in between lectures with other practitioners about how they handle specialty lens patients in the real world was just as valuable.”

Fifth-time attendee to ICSC Ryan Cazares, OD, owner and founder of Scott Eye Care in Scott, Louisiana, said that although he is a very seasoned fitter, he finds ICSC to be the best meeting for scleral lenses. “I always pick up a tidbit—or 10—to bring back to my clinic. This year, I was intrigued by the lecture on using scleral lenses to treat persistent corneal defects. I will definitely read more into doing this!” he noted.

HOW IT ENDED

The second day of ICSC 2025 was also a full one, starting once again at 7:00 am in the exhibit area with breakfast, then moving to the general session room for the remainder of the meeting, flowing between presentations, panel discussions, and sponsored non-CE symposia, as well as a sponsored mid-day small group fitting workshop available by appointment only, scheduled during registration, along with track selection.

Closing remarks were given at 3:40 pm, and attendees were released back into the North Carolina environment, left to choose between returning straight home or taking some time to enjoy Charlotte’s vibrant local culture, cuisine, and other offerings.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR NEXT YEAR

The ICSC organizers are working to secure a venue for next year, but here’s a teaser: it’s looking like the meeting is heading back to the west coast.

“This was my first year attending ICSC, and I loved how practical it was,” said Dr. Seif. “The meeting was applicable to my day-to-day clinical practice, and I was able to implement a few things in my scleral lens consults right off the bat. The lectures felt more like engaging conversations, with lots of open discussion among the attendees. I’ll be back next year!”

Once a hotel is booked and a date is set for next year, we’ll announce it on our social media channels, so keep a look out. We hope to see you there!