About the ICO/IFOS:

Dedicated To Preservation of Vision

On this page:

• ICO is the Executive of the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS)
  
  
• ICO Mission
  
  
• Principal Commitments
  
  
• ICO Programs
  
  
• What Are Ophthalmologists?

ICO is the Executive of the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS)

The International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS) represents and serves professional associations of ophthalmologists throughout the world.

The International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) is the executive body and operational arm of IFOS.

The roots of IFOS and the ICO date back to 1857 when 150 ophthalmologists from 24 countries convened in Brussels for the first International Congress of Ophthalmology.

Participants in the Congress founded the ICO in 1927 in Scheveningen, Holland, and IFOS in 1933 in Madrid, Spain.

ICO Mission

The ICO works with ophthalmologic societies, ophthalmologists and others to enhance ophthalmic education and the provision of eye care in order to preserve and protect vision for all people worldwide.

Principal Commitments

The ICO is focused on:

• Enhancing ophthalmic education, particularly training of ophthalmologists and other eye care personnel to meet public needs in developing countries
  
  
• Stimulating and supporting communication and collaboration among ophthalmologic societies and ophthalmologists globally and their involvement in initiatives to preserve vision
  
  
• Defining and disseminating proposed standards and guidelines in order to enhance eye care
  
  
• Stimulating research to eradicate preventable blindness
  
  
• Raising awareness worldwide of the economic, social and personal impact of vision loss and advocating for increased funding and other support for preservation and restoration of vision.

ICO Programs

Among the principle programs and activities of the ICO are:

• the International Congress of Ophthalmology, also called the World Ophthalmology Congress, which is held every two years in a different region of the world
  
  
• the ICO International Basic Science Assessment and Clinical Sciences Assessment for Ophthalmologists
  
  
• IFOS/ICO International Fellowship
  
  
• ICO International Clinical Guidelines
  
  
• Other ICO initiatives in ophthalmic education
  
  
• Advocacy for preservation of vision
  
  
• Vision for the Future, the International Ophthalmology Strategic Plan to Preserve and Restore Vision
  
  
• Research Agenda for Global Blindness Prevention
  
  
• The Eye Site and other communications initiatives.

Also see: More on ICO programs

What are ophthalmologists?

Ophthalmologists are physicians who specialize in the medical and surgical care of the eyes and visual system and in the prevention of eye disease and injury.

An ophthalmologist is a medically trained specialist who can deliver total eye care (i.e., vision services, eye examinations, medical eye care and surgical eye care), diagnose general diseases of the body and treat ocular manifestations of systemic diseases.

Next: Contact the ICO and IFOS societies

Also see: ICO initiatives in ophthalmic education