The International Society of Contact Lens Specialists (ISCLS) was founded in 1953 by three foresighted eye care practitioners who were pioneers in the field of contact lens patient care: Wilhelm Söhnges from Germany, Frank Dickinson from Great Britain, and Jack Neill from the United States. The concept was to invite other leaders in the field to meet periodically with them to share information that would advance contact lens practice and contact lens patient care.

Today the ISCLS has the same goals – to invite leaders from all over the world, both practitioners and researchers, in the contact lens field to become members of the society and to meet periodically to share knowledge about developments and directions. A major function of the society is to arrange meeting agendas to allow many opportunities for formal and informal discussion about practice and research issues of interest to leaders in the contact lens field from all over the world. Meeting venues are carefully chosen in comfortable and interesting settings to foster conversation, ideas, and knowledge among experts in the field.