Please welcome our newest Fellows! These practitioners have demonstrated superior scleral lens expertise and knowledge.

We are proud to spotlight SLS Fellow Dr. Justine L. Siergey this quarter!

Dr. Justine L. Siergey OD FSLS is a specialty contact lens fitter in a private practice in Orlando, FL. She grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and attended the University of Alberta before getting her OD from Pacific University College of Optometry.  After graduation she immersed herself in specialty contact lens fitting and learned to fit scleral lenses on her practice's large irregular cornea population. Shortly after, she was asked to start lecturing on the topic and now enjoys speaking across the country as well as internationally. Justine became a fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society in 2015 and began helping to promote the SLS as the community outreach chair. She is currently the fellowship chair, where she guides candidates through the fellowship process. She loves to share her passion about scleral lenses with her patients and colleagues alike. 

Question: What aspect of scleral lens fitting still challenges you today?

Answer: With so many available designs and parameters, the actual fit of the scleral has gotten easier but the patient expectations have not. I find the most difficult fits to be patients with unilateral or asymmetric irregularity. When a patient has one eye that sees well with either a soft lens or uncorrected, the expectations for the other eye can be unrealistic. I spend a lot of time on education up front to try to manage realistic expectations. 

Question: Any advice to new fitters getting started in a specialty lens practice?

Answer: Don't let striving for the perfect fit stress you out. There is a lot of wiggle room between a great fit and the perfect fit. As a general rule, I stop making changes if it doesn't improve the health of the eye, comfort or overall vision of the patient. 50um more than ideal clearance will just give you something to improve on next year.

If you have a scleral lens case report that you would be willing to share, please send it to  scleral lens society. 

These case reports will be in an upcoming publication, and may be featured in our quarterly newsletter.

Sclerallens.org has great information for practitioners and patients alike! Printable information, videos, and brochures are available. We have recently updated application and removal videos on our website: Click here to view the videos

Also visit the GPLI and I-site websites for valuable scleral lens information.

Membership allows contact lens fitters access to the practitioner's section of the website that contains scleral lens fitting resources.

 

One of the most frequent questions we get from members is: "How do I get my name listed in the Fitters section of the website?" To be listed as a Fitter on the website, you must become a Fellow of the SLS.

  

Optometrists, ophthalmologists, and Fellows of the Contact Lens Society of America (FCLSA) who have proven themselves in the field of scleral lens fitting can apply for status as a Fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society.       

   

Click here to find out more about becoming a SLS fellow. 

 

The Scleral Lens Education Society (SLS) is a non-profit organization 501(c)3 commited to teaching contact lens practitioners the science and art of fitting all designs of scleral contact lenses for the purpose of managing corneal irregularity and ocular surface disease. SLS supports public education that highlights the benefits and availability of scleral contact lenses.