Ophthalmic Education:

Invigorating Ophthalmic Education Worldwide: Overview of ICO Educational Programs and Initiatives

On this page:

• The urgent need for eye care worldwide
  
  
• Education is the cornerstone of eye care
  
  
• The ICO's primary commitment
  
  
• ICO educational programs
  
  
• Ophthalmic education central to ophthalmology's Vision for the Future
  
  
• ICO Task Forces and initiatives
  
  
• Definition of curriculum guidelines
  
  
• Participation of ophthalmologists needed
  
  
• Symposia on "Invigorating Ophthalmic Education Worldwide"
  
  
• ICO Golden Apple Award
  
  
• ICOFoundation Seeks Support

The urgent need for eye care worldwide

Even in this age of molecular medicine with hi-tech therapeutic approaches, the need for basic eye care is enormous and urgent worldwide.

One person goes blind every 5 seconds, and a child goes blind every minute.

As the late Sir John Wilson once said, "Patients do not go blind by statistics, they become blind individually, each in their own predicament."

Education is the cornerstone of eye care

Ophthalmologists, who dedicate themselves to the care of those with loss of vision or potential loss of vision, must take their responsibility seriously.

In support of this responsibility, the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) advocates that "education is the cornerstone of eye care worldwide."

The ICO's primary commitment

One of the primary goals and commitments of the ICO is to enhance ophthalmic education in order to improve eye care and contribute to preservation and restoration of vision around the world.

To fulfill this commitment, the ICO both offers specific educational programs and has undertaken major new initiatives to invigorate ophthalmic education around the world, as of part of implementation of international ophthalmology's Vision for the Future.

ICO educational programs

The primary educational programs of the ICO include:

• International Congress of Ophthalmology
  
  
• ICO Basic and Clinical Assessments
  
  
• IFOS/ICO International Fellowship
  
  
• ICO International Clinical Guidelines

Ophthalmic education central to ophthalmology's Vision for the Future

From 1999 to 2001, the ICO, Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis and representatives of other vision-related organizations met in a series of conferences to define a strategic plan for international ophthalmology.

The resulting Vision for the Future: International Ophthalmology Strategic Plan to Preserve and Restore Vision identified critical needs for ophthalmic education, guidelines for eye care, advocacy and health services research in order to decrease avoidable vision loss and blindness around the world.

The ICO is coordinating implementation of the Vision for the Future and has set up Committees and task forces with various responsibilities, including ophthalmic education.

ICO Task Forces and initiatives

Mark O. M. Tso, MD, ICO Vice-President and Education Program Director, has organized international Task Forces focusing on four aspects of ophthalmic education:

• Ophthalmology Medical Student Education
  
  
• Ophthalmology Resident-Specialist Education
  
  
• Ophthalmology Continuing Education
  
  
• Allied Ophthalmic Personnel Training

Follow the links above to learn more about the Task Forces and ICO's initiatives in each area.

Definition of curriculum guidelines

The Task Forces are have defined international curriculum guidelines in these four areas of ophthalmic education and look for opportunities to implement the guidelines in the near future.

The most recent versions of the curricula can be downloaded:

• residency training in ophthalmology (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurricres.pdf - 312 KB)
  
  
• education of allied eye care providers
  (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurricpara.pdf - 336 KB)
  
  
• ophthalmic education of medical students (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurricmed.pdf - 204 KB)
  
  
• guidelines for continuing medical education in ophthalmology (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurriccme.pdf - 220 KB).

The ICO encourages ophthalmologic societies and residency programs to translate and adapt these curricula as needed and use them as basis for enhancing ophthalmic education.

Participation of ophthalmologists needed

"The ICO asks all ophthalmologists to participate in one or more of these programs," said Dr. Tso.

"Educational programs are our responsibility to those who will come after us and a legacy to the world we leave behind."

Symposia on "Invigorating Ophthalmic Education Worldwide"

To share these initiatives with the worldwide ophthalmic community and obtain input before programs are implemented, the ICO organized symposia on "Invigorating Ophthalmic Education Worldwide" at the meetings of four supranational ophthalmologic societies in 2003.

For more details, see the reports on the individual symposia.

ICO Golden Apple Award

One of the most important elements of these educational programs is our teachers. Indeed:

Give a man a fish
Feed him for a day
Teach a man to fish
Feed him for a lifetime
Encourage the man to teach others to fish
Feed a generation!

In this spirit, the ICO wishes to honor the Best Teachers in Ophthalmology in each of the four continents by presenting them the ICO Golden Apple Award.

Nominations for the ICO Golden Apple Award were made at the ICO symposia on "Invigorating Ophthalmic Education Worldwide" at four supranational ophthalmologic society meetings in 2003.

ICOFoundation Seeks Support

The ICOFoundation recognizes the central role of ophthalmic education and training in international efforts to improve and sustain quality services for prevention and treatment of eye disease.

With this perspective, the ICOFoundation is seeking support for a multiyear, flexible and precisely targeted program to develop curricula, identify educational materials, continuously update content and objectively evaluate the educational outcome.

Next: Resident and Specialist Education

Also see: Medical Student Education