Every new trend or technology has its pioneers, so do contact lenses in Saudi Arabia.
I'd like to provide a little information about one of the pioneers of contact lenses in Saudi Arabia.

Michel J. Gambino, O.D.

After his honorable discharge from the Air Force, Dr. Gambino enrolled in the pre-med program at the University of New Orleans. When he completed his pre-med studies, he was accepted by the University of Alabama in Birmingham School of Optometry. As a freshman he won the Nikon Essay National Scholarship award for an essay he wrote entitled “Optometry and the Underprivileged”. The essay was subsequently published in the Journal of the American Optometric Association. During his four years at UABSO Dr. Gambino was very active in student politics. In his junior year he was elected national president of the American Optometric Student Association. As a senior he was tapped for ODK national honors society. He graduated with honors and received the award for Outstanding Leadership as an optometry student.

After graduation Dr. Gambino entered private optometry practice specializing in contact lenses in New Orleans. Starting from scratch, he built a very successful contact lens practice, which included three offices in Greater New Orleans. As computers became more prevalent, he became concerned about the impact of long hours in front of a visual display terminal on his patients’ vision and overall health. After much research he published a manual entitled. “VDT’s and Productivity – Stop The Automated Office Dollar Drain.” He started a consultation company called Visual Technologies, Inc., which consulted with many Fortune 500 companies.

In the late 1980’s, Dr Gambino was asked by a private Saudi Arabian company to come to Saudi Arabia and help establish an American–style contact lens practice. He and his family spent two years living in Saudi Arabia. He worked throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia establishing a chain of contact lens offices. His stint in Saudi was interrupted by the Gulf War and he and his family never returned.

Eventually, he moved to Dallas where he again began a contact lens practice. As technology advanced, he became a leader in developing alternatives to refractive surgeries such as radial keratotomy, PRK and LASIK. He has lectured extensively and has published articles on the subject. He is now using his 27 years experience as a contact lens practitioner to provide patients with a safe, non-surgical alternative to Lasik eye surgery.

I came across this information when looking up the different LASIK centers in Saudi Arabia, thought it would be helpful to mention something related to LASIK by mentioning this Bio of Dr. Gambino.