She is currently a Member of the College of Optometrists (UK) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometrists. She is the honorary advisor of The Hong Kong Society of Professional Optometrists, and an Honorary Member of The Association of Private Practice Optometrists. Prof. Lam has served in the regulatory bodies of Optometry in Hong Kong; as a member of the Supplementary Medical Professions Council in Hong Kong, and a member of the Optometrists Board of Hong Kong.
Prof. Carly Lam has a long-standing research interest in myopia and binocular vision. She received the OPO Bernard Gilmartin Award from the College of Optometrists in UK for Research Excellence in 2015. She was also awarded the KB Woo Lecturer in 2019.