CLMA Dr. Josef Dallos Award

2022.2.9

Paul Rose, inventor of the Rose K family of lenses for irregular cornea, has been awarded the prestigious Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA) Dr Josef Dallos Award.

“The Dallos Award is our highest honour. It is given for outstanding contribution to the development and advancement of the contact lens industry and for service to humanity,” said Kurtis Brown, chair of the CLMA awards committee. “It is not just awarded for a single contribution, but for a career dedicated to enriching the lives of others through contact lenses; it represents not just commercial or engineering success, but a humanitarian commitment to improving the lives of patients.”

Rose said he was immensely surprised and humbled by the news. “It is an absolute honour to be recognised and I am very grateful. A huge thank you to the CLMA Board and everyone involved in the award process.”

The list of recipients who have received this award in the past reads like a who's who of the contact lens industry. “To be included among these incredible pioneers is beyond my wildest dreams,” said Rose. “For me, it is the highest international recognition I could ever receive… right up there with receiving the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.”

Throughout his career, changing people;s lives through vision has always been a main driver, he said. “There is no greater satisfaction than knowing my lenses have added value to the lives of irregular cornea patients. I still receive some wonderful emails from patients around the world describing how my lenses have changed their lives and allowed them the gift of sight. The Joseph Dallos Award is particularly special for me as it recognises the humanitarian impact my designs have had on improving the lives of patients.”

The award, presented at the Global Specialty Lens Symposium in Las Vegas, required the vote of the full board of the CLMA and was passed unanimously, said Brown.