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ICO Notes
International Ophthalmology, Past and Present

August 2010

Dear ICO Members and Friends,

I have a few reports and one request for you this month:

1. History of International Ophthalmology and the ICO

International ophthalmology dates back to 1857.  ICO Immediate Past President G.O.H. “Fritz” Naumann, MD, with contributions from former Director for Fellowships Balder Gloor, MD and Director for Assessments Peter Watson, FRCOphth, have told the story of the last 25 years in the recently published International Ophthalmology 1982-2007.

The book offers a condensed view of international ophthalmology preceding 1982, while focusing on key considerations and decisions at annual Council meetings, the development of the Assessments (now Examinations) and ICO Fellowship Programs, and other important milestones on which we are building our future.  

The online version of International Ophthalmology 1982-2007, by G.O.H. Naumann, Balder P. Gloor, and Peter G. Watson, is available at http://www.flippingpages.de/live/naumann_1_online.  

To order a hard copy of International Ophthalmology 1982-2007, please complete the online form at: http://www.flippingpages.de/ico.  The books are free of charge complements of the ICO and the International Ophthalmic Fellowship Foundation (IOFF), although donations are greatly appreciated.  If you wish to make a donation, please write to ico-obermaier@web.de. 

I hope you will enjoy reading it, and that our history will inspire you to continue to work together to enhance eye care and reduce vision loss.   

2. ICO Financial Report

I am happy to report that ICO finances continue to be in good order. As ICO Treasurer Hugh Taylor, AC, MD, reported at the General Assembly in June, in the last year we have worked hard to make sure all the financial dealings of the ICO are clear and transparent. We have introduced new procedures and developed a number of policies to add clarity and rigor.

The primary sources of income for the ICO are member dues (thanks again, ICO members), the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) and other Congresses, Examinations, contributions from the ICO Foundation, and investments. We have received increasing support from industry, individuals and foundations through the ICOFoundation (www.icofoundation.org), for which we are very grateful.

Professor Taylor’s 2010 Treasurer’s Report is available for download at: http://icoph.org/downloads/ICOTreasurersReport2010.ppt (PPT – 225 KB).

In spite of increased costs, we have managed to keep expenses matched with our income while maintaining appropriate reserves. But to sustain the recent dramatic expansion of ICO programs and initiatives, we need to keep a close eye on expenses and look for additional sources of income. 

3. ICO/Alcon Training Center Fellowships

In addition to the ICO Fellowship Program, the ICOFoundation supports the ICO/Alcon Training Center Fellowships. These fellowships offer subspecialty training at the ICO/Alcon Training Center at University Eye Hospital, in Ljubljana, Slovenia for ophthalmologists from Eastern Europe.

Selected fellows will train at the post-specialist level in cataract, oculoplastic or vitreoretinal surgery for one year. A stipend of €9,000 is provided to the institution sending the applicant, to be used in full by the applicant. Up to two fellowships can be awarded each year.

Interested applicants should have their institution’s director send a recommendation letter and CV to Professor Marko Hawlina at marko.hawlina@mf.uni-lj.si before December 31, 2010.  For more information on application requirements, see http://icoph.org/refocusing_education/educational_programs/subspecialty.html#ICO_Alcon.

4. Please Link to and Share ICO Resources

On the recently remodeled ICO Web site, http://icoph.org/resources.html, there are more than 140 different free resources on education, eye care, and leadership available to you and your society members.  The resources directory allows you to access curricula, medical student handbooks, advocacy tips and tools, ICO International Clinical Guidelines, and much more.

You can search the listings by topic, subspecialty, resource name, author or keyword. In addition to downloading and using these resources on your own, you are also welcome to link to any of these resources from your society’s Web site. All you have to do is copy the ICO page address in your browser’s address bar and paste it into your Web site.

For example, if you would like to link to the full set of ICO International Clinical Guidelines in English, you can copy this link: http://icoph.org/resources/resources_detail/69/20-International-Clinical-Guidelines-in-Microsoft-Word-English.html and post it on your Web site.  If you have questions about how to link to the ICO resources list, or have suggestions for other resources to include in our list, please let us know by writing to info@icoph.org. We would be very happy to hear from you.

With warm regards,

Bruce

Bruce Spivey, MD, MS, MEd
President, International Council of Ophthalmology

945 Green Street
San Francisco, CA, 94133, USA
Fax: (1-415) 409-8403
spivey@icoph.org
www.icoph.org