About

Shelley I. Cutler, OD, FAAO, Dipl, FSLS is the founder and CEO of Scleral Lens Associates.

After many years of specializing in all the various specialty contact lenses, she chose to develop a practice in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, whose prime focus is on large diameter oxygen permeable lenses.

Dr. Cutler graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1982. Following a Primary Care Residency, also at PCO (1982-1983), she accepted a position at The Wills Eye Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.).  As the supervisor of the Contact Lens Department, Dr. Cutler was responsible for  the contact lens education of the Ophthalmology residents and the contact lens care of the clinic patients.
In January 1985, Dr. Cutler joined the private sector to work full time in an Ophthalmology practice. She eventually switched her mode of practice to a Contact Lens consultant and worked in several different medical offices through out the years specializing in difficult to fit contact lens cases.

In the Fall of 1985, Dr. Cutler was appointed to an adjunct faculty member position at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, now Salus University, (in the contact lens curriculum.) At various points in time, she has participated as a general clinical instructor, a contact lens specialty instructor, a contact lens laboratory instructor , Director of the Laboratory portion of the Contact Lens curriculum  and/or has been a guest lecturer.

Most recently (January 2020), Dr Cutler has joined the medical staff at the Scheie Eye Institute (Penn Medicine – Philadelphia, Pa) to fit the more difficult and challenging eyes.

Dr. Cutler became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (F.A.A.O.) in 1987 and in 2002 obtained her Diplomate in Cornea and Contact Lens. In 2018, she became a Fellow of the Scleral Lens Education society (F.S.L.S).
Dr. Cutler has lectured and conducted wet labs locally, nationally and internationally on contact lens related topics and has many papers, articles and book chapters published.

Over the last decade and a half, Dr. Cutler’s interests have taken her into gaining extra knowledge in nutritional care for the eyes (and body).  She now incorporates this in addressing the issues of lid disease, dry eye and tear film insufficiencies in conjunction with overall eye health.

As roads and paths cross over one’s lifetime, beginning in 2007 and ending in early 2014, Dr Cutler worked one day per week in nursing/assisted living homes delivering the necessary general eye care to the Geriatric and Special Needs population who can no longer live on their own because of physical or mental limitations.

Lectures by Dr. Cutler

Papers published by Dr. Cutler

Book Chapters written by Dr. Cutler

Research by Dr. Cutler