World Ophthalmology Congress :

World Ophthalmology Congress

Congress News Headlines:

• 2010 World Congress in Berlin
  
  
• MEACO will host 2012 WOC in Abu Dhabi
  
  
• 2014 WOC will be March 28 – April 4 in Tokyo
  
  
• 2016 WOC in the Americas, Host To Be Selected in 2010
  
  
• 2008 World Ophthalmology Congress® attracts 13,000
  
  
• Highlights of the 2008 WOC
  
  
• ICO offers selected WOC presentations online
  
  
• Other WOC reports and photos available
  
  
• Thanks to WOC Corporate Sponsors
  
  
• Upcoming supranational society congresses
  
  
• Other upcoming congresses and meetings
  
  
• 2006 World Congress exceeds expectations

2010 World Congress in Berlin

The next World Ophthalmology Congress® will be June 5 – 9, 2010, in Berlin, hosted by the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) and co-hosted by the German Academy of Ophthalmology (AAD).

Congress President Gerhard Lang, MD, reported to the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) in Hong Kong on plans for the 2010 WOC, which will incorporate XXXII World Ophthalmology Congress , the 108th Congress of the DOG  and AAD 2010.

2008 WOC Scientific Program Director Stephen Ryan, MD, will work with Professor Gabriele Lang, MD, on the scientific program for Berlin, with Congress General Secretary Anselm Kampik, MD, organizing the program for the AAD. The 2010 WOC will also offer subspecialty days and instruction courses.

The main social event will be a Bavarian-style Octoberfest, to be called the WOCtoberfest. For more information, see www.woc2010.de.

The World Ophthalmology Congress was previously held in Germany in Heidelberg in 1888 and Munich in 1966.

MEACO will host 2012 WOC in Abu Dhabi

At its meeting in Hong Kong, the ICO approved Abu Dhabi, capital city of the United Arab Emirates, as the site for 2012 World Ophthalmology Congress®, which will be hosted by the Middle East African Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO).

"We are excited to be meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2012," commented ICO President Bruce E. Spivey, MD, who visited Abu Dhabi with ICO Executive Director Bill Felch just prior to the WOC in Hong Kong. "It is an appealing location with excellent facilities and a strong commitment to support the WOC.”

“This is the first time in 150 years that the World Ophthalmology Congress will be held in the Middle East African Region, and MEACO proposed Abu Dhabi as the site,” said MEACO President Abdulaziz AlRajhi, MD. “MEACO will strive to fulfill the trust placed in it by the ICO and the international ophthalmic community and make this a truly historic meeting.”

The 2012 WOC was originally scheduled in Chicago in conjunction with the American Academy of Ophthalmology. But the WOC developed into a major international Congress, and ICO and Academy leaders agreed in 2007 that it would be impossible for the WOC to fit within the framework of the AAO Annual Meeting or for the Academy to fit within a WOC.

The Council invited the Middle East African Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) to host the 2012 WOC and has now approved Abu Dhabi as the site, with the Congress most likely to be scheduled in February.

2014 WOC will be March 28 – April 4 in Tokyo

In March 2007, the ICO selected the Japanese Ophthalmological Society as the host for the 2014 World Ophthalmology Congress®, in Tokyo. It has been scheduled for March 28 to April 4 at the Tokyo International Forum, during cherry blossom time.

2016 WOC in the Americas, Host To Be Selected in 2010

At its meeting in Hong Kong, the ICO approved a recommendation from its Strategic Planning Committee and Officers that the World Ophthalmology Congress®, rotate in the future among four regions: Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East/Africa and the Americas. Previously, the Congress rotated among three regions, with Europe, the Middle East and Africa combined into one.

The 2016 WOC will be in the Americas. It will have been 10 years by then since the previous meeting in the Americas, in Sao Paulo in 2006. Proposals for sites for the 2016 WOC will be due early in 2010, for consideration by the ICO Board when it meets in Berlin in June 2010.

The 2018 WOC will be in Europe, and ICO Board will consider proposals for that Congress when it meets in 2012 in Abu Dhabi.

See the new Policy on Future World Ophthalmology Congresses adopted in Hong Kong.

2008 World Ophthalmology Congress® attracts 13,000

With 10,500 ophthalmologists and 2,500 exhibitors and other participants from 105 countries and territories, the 2008 World Ophthalmology Congress®, June 28 – July 2 in Hong Kong, was the largest ever.

Based on feedback from registrants, it was also one of the best, even though Typhoon Feizen brushed Hong Kong as many were arriving and left behind days of rain. The Congress was praised for the breadth and depth of the scientific program, excellent organization and staffing and unforgettable social events.

Sponsored by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO), the Congress was hosted by the College of Ophthalmologist of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society and co-hosted by the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology and Chinese Ophthalmological Society.

The 2008 WOC incorporated the XXXI World Ophthalmology Congress , XXII Congress of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, XIII Congress of the Chinese Ophthalmological Society and XX Hong Kong Ophthalmological Symposium.

Congress President Dennis Lam, MD, called it the “Olympics of ophthalmology.”

Highlights of the 2008 WOC

Among the highlights of the World Ophthalmology Congress® in Hong Kong:

• More than 1100 internationally recognized speakers in 319 scientific sessions, many organized by more than 40 international, supranational, national and subspecialty ophthalmologic societies
  
  
• 200 submitted free papers and more than 3600 posters
  
  
• 34 symposia sponsored by industry with seven live surgery sessions
  
  
• A Subspecialty Day focused on cataract and refractive surgery, glaucoma, and retina
  
  
• More than 3000 registrants from Mainland China, with 70 sessions, 500 presentations and 1600 posters in the Chinese Ophthalmological Society program
  
  
• The first World Ophthalmic Education Colloquium (WOEC), with more than 100 speakers on educational initiatives in 18 symposia
  
  
• The second World Forum of Non-Profit Organizations in Vision and Blindness Prevention and 19 sessions related to VISION 2020
  
  
• Dazzling social events that featured Chinese cuisine and culture, including a fluorescent dragon dance and traditional Bian Lian or “face changing” performance at the Opening Ceremonies.

ICO offers selected WOC presentations online

Supported by a grant from Genentech, the ICO has made 26 selected presentations from the World Ophthalmology Congress in Hong Kong available at:

ico.scientificabstracts.org.

These presentations combine slides with audio. You will need to advance the slides manually to match the words of the speaker.

Also available are all of the slide presentations from the World Ophthalmic Education Colloquium. The welcome page for the site describes how to select and view the various presentations.

Other WOC reports and photos available

Ocular Surgery News published the WOC Daily in Hong Kong, with sections of each issue in Chinese. Copies can be downloaded at: www.osnsupersite.com/view.asp?rID=29552

OSN also offers reports on many presentations from the Congress at: www.osnsupersite.com/setContent.asp?setID=405

To view or download photos and videos from the WOC, visit the Congress Web site at: www.woc2008hongkong.org/woc/index09_3.shtml

Thanks to WOC Corporate Sponsors

The ICO and WOC thank the following companies for their generous contributions to the WOC 2008:

Diamond sponsors: Alcon, Allergan and AMO

Platinum Sponsors: Novartis, Pfizer and Santen

Gold Sponsors: Bausch & Lomb, Leica Microsystems, MSD, Nidek, Staar Surgical, Tomcon, Carl Zeiss Meditec.

Upcoming supranational society congresses

• March 26 - 28, 2009, X International Congress of the Middle East African Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO), Bahrain (www.meaco.org)
  
  
• May 16 - 19, 2009, 24th Congress of the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, Bali, Indonesia (www.apao2009bali.org)
  
  
• June 13  - 16, 2009, 17th Congress of the European Society of Ophthalmology, Amsterdam (www.soe2009.org)
  
  
• October 24 - 27, 2009, Joint Meeting of the 29th Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology and the 113th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco, California, USA

Other upcoming congresses and meetings

• January 15 – 18, 2009, Asia ARVO 2009, Hyderabad, India (www.asiaarvo2009.org), co-sponsored by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the Indian Eye Research Group
  
  
• September 30 - October 3, 2009, European Association for Vision and Eye Research (EVER), Portoroz, Slovenia (www.ever.be/c_page.php?id=212)

2006 World Congress exceeds expectations

The 2006 World Ophthalmology Congress®, on February 19 – 24 in São Paulo, Brazil exceeded all expectations, with more than 12,000 registrants from 120 countries.

The Congress was also the 30th World Ophthalmology Congress, 26th Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology and 17th Brazilian Congress of Prevention of Blindness.

"This was the best International Congress since 1857," commented ICO President Fritz Naumann, MD. The first World Ophthalmology Congress was in 1857 in Brussels, and the Congress is the longest continuing international meeting in all of medicine.

Highlights of the 2006 World Congress included:

• the first-ever World Forum of Non-Profit Organizations on Vision and Prevention of Blindness
• four "Subspecialty Days," one-day immersion programs led by top ophthalmologists on glaucoma, retina, cataract and cornea and refractive surgery
• 2,500 speakers from all ophthalmic subspecialties and all regions of the world
• 400 scientific sessions with 4000 presentations
• Opening Ceremonies, a WOCarnival Ball and other social events that introduced registrants to the music and flavors of Brazil.

It was the first World Ophthalmology Congress held in South America.

Next: More News of World Ophthalmology Congresses

Also see: XXIX Congress in Sydney, 2002