The 2026 recipients of the Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) Awards were honored on January 8 at the annual meeting in Las Vegas. Patrick Caroline received the Award of Excellence, and Maria K. Walker, OD, PhD, received the Rising Star Award.

Established in 2013, the Award of Excellence is awarded by the Program Committee to a distinguished clinician, scholar, or scientist whose lifelong work has significantly advanced the field of contact lenses, especially specialty lenses. Honorees are recognized for contributions in development, clinical practice, education, knowledge translation, and scholarly activity that have moved the field forward in essential ways. 

Recipient Caroline serves as associate professor at the Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon. He is a fellow and diplomat of the Cornea and Contact Lens Section of the American Academy of Optometry and co-curator of The Contact Lens Museum. He has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association.

For the past 30 years, he has served as a contributing editor for Contact Lens Spectrum. Caroline has published more than 360 papers, authored more than 150 scientific posters, and lectured extensively throughout the world.

Of receiving the award, Caroline said, “It is indeed an exciting time to be a part of the specialty contact lens industry. I’m humbled to be a simple participant in something that has provided so much joy to so many patients. However, it is we, the providers of these complex plastic marvels, who are truly the fortunate ones since we have the opportunity to witness the life-changing ‘miracles’ these lenses provide for our patients. I want to thank my many colleagues and the GSLS for making me a better specialty contact lens provider.”

The Rising Star Award, established in 2023, recognizes an emerging leader in cornea and contact lenses who demonstrates substantial contributions to the field, outside of what might normally be expected in an early phase of one’s career. 

Recipient Dr. Walker is a clinician scientist with a focus on keratoconus, childhood myopia, and specialty contact lenses. She graduated with an OD/MS from The New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts in 2013 and then completed a 1-year cornea and contact lens residency at Pacific University in Portland, Oregon. She joined the faculty at University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) in 2014 and went on to complete a PhD on the impact of a scleral lens on the eye in 2021.

Dr. Walker is an assistant professor at UHCO and runs a research lab studying keratoconus, the tear film, and the effects of scleral lenses. She is also an investigator on the Bifocal Lenses In Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) Study to evaluate the use of soft multifocal contact lenses in reducing myopic progression in children and provides specialty contact lens patient care 2 days per week. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, past president of the Scleral Lens Education Society, and advisory board member of the GP Lens Institute.

“I’m deeply honored by this recognition,” shared Dr. Walker. “Receiving the GSLS Rising Star Award is very meaningful to me because it represents the passion I have for specialty contact lens care and the community that has shaped my growth. I’m grateful for my mentors, collaborators, and patients who continue to inspire me, and I feel energized by this to keep pushing the field forward.”