Nominations for Inaugural Contact Lens Institute Culture Awards Open Through Nov. 30

Nominations for the inaugural Contact Lens Institute™ (CLI) Culture Awards will be accepted through Nov. 30. The program honors eye care professionals who foster a positive contact lens culture, exemplifying behaviors and actions reflected in CLI’s new The Culture Calculation: Data-Backed Behaviors for Contact Lens Success report to enhance patient experiences and business success.

Any member of the U.S. eye care community—whether a practice, team, institutional clinic or individual—who prescribes or supports soft contact lens prescribing is eligible for consideration. Self-nominations are allowed and encouraged. Complete nomination information is available at contactlensinstitute.org/awards.

“Contact lens patients consistently describe the multiple vision, lifestyle, and confidence-boosting aspects of wear, and numerous practices have realized the significant lifetime value of this population. While past CLI research has shown that many eye care providers are missing the opportunity to talk about contact lens options with 2/3rds of patients, 44% of glasses only wearers are open to considering contact lenses. A contact lens-affirming culture helps ensure that these conversations are happening regularly,” said Stan Rogaski, executive director of the Contact Lens Institute. “Our new Culture Awards are designed to discover outstanding contact lens prescribing practices, then inspire others to adopt the same.”

Nominators simply need to provide a concise response (750 words or less in total) that addresses at least two of the following questions:

• How has the nominee enhanced patient outcomes using soft contact lenses?
• What initiatives, processes, or projects has the nominee put into place in their practice that enhances a positive culture for recommending soft contact lenses and patient wear?
• How does the nominee engage practice staff to take an active advocacy role for healthy, happy soft contact lens wear?
• Can you describe a particular nominee-patient interaction that exemplifies how soft contact lenses have changed or improved a patient’s life, and which may inspire colleagues?

To improve chances of being recognized, nominators should reference proven factors identified in The Culture Calculation report, specifically: the use of new/advanced soft contact lenses, offering training/education/mentorship, encouraging contact lens advocacy, reinforcing professional and personal prescribing benefits, and/or tracking soft contact lens business outcomes.

Nominations must include the name/location/practice name/contact information of the candidate, as well as the name/affiliation/contact information for the nominator. They must be emailed no later than Nov. 30, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET to cli@contactlensinstitute.org. The submission can be written within the body of the email or attached as a Word or PDF document. Questions may be sent to the same address.

Selection will be at the sole discretion of the CLI Board of Directors. Honorees will be announced by the Contact Lens Institute in December 2023, with ongoing recognition into the following year.

The Contact Lens Institute advances the latest innovations in safe and effective contact lens and lens care products and services that provide unique benefits to patients while satisfying the evolving needs of eye care professionals. CLI undertakes activities that properly assess, enhance, promote and balance contact lens and lens care industry welfare and growth, including the safe use of products in the marketplace. Its members include Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision, and Johnson & Johnson Vision. For more information, visit contactlensinstitute.org.