Dr. Joel Silbert Retires After 46-Year Career at Salus University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry
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Dr. Joel Silbert Retires After 46-Year Career at Salus University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Joel Silbert, OD ‘73, FAAO, Salus PCO professor and director of the Contact Lens Program and former chief of the Cornea and Specialty Contact Lens Service at The Eye Institute (TEI) and a nationally recognized expert in contact lenses, has retired after a 46-year career at the University.
He was honored at a ceremony June 30, 2020, at TEI in which an exam room was dedicated in his honor.
Dr. Silbert leaves with a long list of accomplishments. In addition to his duties at TEI, he has been the principal investigator at PCO for the CLEK Study (Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus) for 10 years; has authored two textbooks on anterior segment complications of contact lenses; wrote 12 chapters in 11 textbooks on contact lenses and anterior segment ocular disease; was the chair of the Association of Optometric CL Educators; a diplomate of the Cornea, Refractive Technology and Contact Lens Section of the American Academy of Optometry; a senior lecturer in contact lenses courses at Salus PCO; externship preceptor for 25 years; contact lens and primary care residency supervisor and mentor from 1978 to the present; and chair of the credentialing committee at TEI.
Dr. Silbert isn’t disappearing from the TEI scene altogether. Exam Room 503, where Dr. Silbert spent a lot of time, was dedicated in his name during the retirement ceremony. He’s going to continue working in Salus PCO’s Advanced Studies in Contact Lenses and will likely continue teaching in a limited capacity.
