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ICO Notes
Thanks for a Great 2010, Looking Ahead to 2011

December 2010

Dear ICO Members and Friends,

As the year draws to a close, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your participation and support of the ICO. This has been a very productive year, and we look forward to 2011 with much anticipation.

2010 brought many new and exciting opportunities for the ICO. A highlight was the chance for us to gather in Berlin for the ICO General Assembly and the World Ophthalmology Congress.

I invite you to join the ICO at one of our many events scheduled for 2011. Don’t miss the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress in Sydney, March 20-24, 2011. The ICO will co-sponsor this Congress and will be holding a first-ever Conference for Ophthalmic Educators on March 18 and 19. I offer a more detailed list of other 2011 ICO events below.

1. ICO Annual Dues Reminder

Last month, the ICO Officers sent dues invoices to each ICO Member. For your reference, a copy of that mailing and an update on ICO programs is available here: www.icoph.org/downloads/ICOMemberDues2011.pdf.

We ask member societies to send ICO dues payments before January 1, 2011. Payments can be most easily made by credit card at https://www.icoph.org/member_dues_payment.html, but we will also accept a wire transfer or check.

If your society did not receive the invoice and mailing, or if you have any questions, please write to treasurer@icoph.org. We will be happy to assist you.

I thank you again for your support and participation in the ICO.

2. WOC 2012 Call for Abstracts Opens December 15

I hope you are making plans to attend and participate in the 2012 World Ophthalmology Congress, February 16–20 in Abu Dhabi.

Abstract submission will be available on December 15 at http://woc2012.org/call_for_papers.html and will be open until June 1, 2011.

Please also mark your calendar with these important WOC dates in 2011:

January 25:    List of hotels available
February 1:     Early bird registration for participants and speakers opens
February 1:     Hotel reservations open
March 1:         Advance program (subjects of symposia) available
March 15:       Early bird deadline for sponsorship and commercial exhibition
June 1:           Abstract submission deadline
July 15:          Notification on abstract submission to first author
July 15:          Invited program completed and speakers informed
September 1: Scientific program schedule and details available (topics and dates)
November 1:  Final program announced

3. ICO Events in 2011

ICO Co-sponsors, Meets at 2011 APAO Congress in Sydney
The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) and the ICO invite you to join us at the 26th Congress of the APAO in Sydney, Australia, March 20-24, 2011, at the Darling Harbor Convention and Exhibition Center. “Early bird” registration rates are available through January 15 at www.apaosydney2011.com.

The ICO Board of Trustees will meet in Sydney, March 17–18, 2011, to continue the strategic planning process along with the usual business and discussion items.

New ICO Conferences for Educators—Sydney and Buenos Aires

• Sydney: March 18 – 19, 2011 in Sydney, Australia, just prior to the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress (www.apaosydney2011.com)
• Buenos Aires: July 5, 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in conjunction with the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) Congress (www.paao2011buenosaires.org.ar)

Registration is free, but participants will need to cover their own travel and personal costs. Those who are interested in participating should write to education@icoph.org, letting us know which of the two conferences are preferable.

ICO Advocacy Workshop at the 2011 PAAO Congress
The ICO is planning to hold a half-day training session for all designated “Advocates” of national societies, tentatively scheduled for July 6, 2011 at the PAAO Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

As you may know, the ICO has asked national ophthalmologic societies to name "Advocates" to work with us on increasing support for eye care. Part of our goal is help them learn to be effective advocates with their governments for increased funding for eye care and prevention of blindness, and this training session will offer specific tools and tips to do just that. More information is forthcoming.

4. Remember to Create Your Personal and Society Profile on www.icoph.org

As I mentioned in October’s ICO Notes, we have added new features to enhance your experience on the ICO Web site.

If you haven’t already, please visit www.icoph.org/create_account.html to create a profile. After you create an account, you’ll want to go to “My ICO” to select the international ophthalmology topics that interest you. You’ll then see and save the latest news, resources and events (meetings/congresses) according to your selected interests.

And if you want to add or edit your society’s profile at www.icoph.org/societies, you can do that through your personal ICO account by selecting “Request permission to edit this society's profile on icoph.org.” Within 24 hours, you will then be given access to the “Manage [your society name]” option, which will appear in the right sidebar of your “My ICO” page.

I hope you will take advantage of these new Web features and please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Best wishes and happy holidays,

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