The 25-Year Odyssey of the Global Specialty Lens Symposium  - Takeaways - MDSpire

The 25-Year Odyssey of the Global Specialty Lens Symposium 

In their keynote address to the 2026 Global Specialty Lens Symposium, Craig W. Norman and Patrick J. Caroline recounted the evolution of the event over the past 2+ decades.

  • By

  • Craig W. Norman, FCLSA

  • Patrick J. Caroline, FAAO

  • March 1, 2026

  • 10 min

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  • 1

    The Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) originated from a 2000 idea to create an international conference focused on specialty contact lenses.

  • 2

    The inaugural Global Orthokeratology Symposium (GOS) was held in Toronto in 2002, attracting global eyecare practitioners despite initial challenges.

  • 3

    The GOS faced cancellation in 2003 due to the SARS outbreak but successfully resumed in 2004 with FDA approvals for ortho-k lenses.

  • 4

    The conference evolved to include broader topics, leading to the formation of the Global Keratoconus Congress and later rebranding as GSLS.

  • 5

    GSLS has played a pivotal role in advancing specialty lens education, showcasing innovations like corneal cross-linking and modern scleral lenses.

Original Source(s)

The 25-Year Odyssey of the Global Specialty Lens Symposium 

  • by Craig W. Norman, FCLSA, Patrick J. Caroline, FAAO

  • March 1, 2026

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