IFOS Notes:
November IFOS Meeting in New Orleans;
WOC 2008 in Hong Kong

Dear IFOS Members and Friends,

Please read this issue of IFOS Notes carefully. It includes:

1. An invitation to a meeting for IFOS Members on November 10 at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in New Orleans

2. A request to name or verify your IFOS Representative for the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) in 2008 in Hong Kong

3. Information on the IFOS General Assembly, WORLD Roundtable and Advocacy Luncheon in Hong Kong

4. Encouragement to register for the WOC soon

5. A request to help us publicize the World Congress.

1. ICO/IFOS Meeting in New Orleans

You are invited to an informal International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) update for Members of the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS) from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 10 in Room 271 of the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans during the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting.

This will not be a formal IFOS meeting, and no business will be done. We just want to fill you in on the many activities of the ICO, including some exciting new initiatives, as well as plans for the 2008 World Ophthalmology Congress and IFOS General Assembly in Hong Kong.

If you do plan to attend, I would appreciate it if you would send me a note to that effect, so that we have an idea of how many will be there. If you won’t be in New Orleans or can’t make the ICO/IFOS meeting, no problem: We will fill you in on everything in IFOS Notes and the ICO Leader Letter.

2. Let Us Know Your IFOS Representative for 2008 WOC

IFOS Members are asked to let us know who your IFOS Representative will be at the next General Assembly on June 27 and World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC), June 28 – July 2, 2008 in Hong Kong. Please select a Representative who is active in your society leadership, who can represent it to IFOS and who will keep you informed about the ICO. If you have already named a Representative, please confirm that choice with us unless you have done so in the last few months.

The official designated Representative of each IFOS Member will receive free registration to the WOC. (Everyone else, including all members of the ICO and speakers, must pay for their registration!)

You can inform us of your IFOS Representative (please include his or her e-mail address) by replying to this e-mail or writing ICO Secretary General Jean Jacques De Laey, MD, at jean.delaey@ugent.be. Dr. DeLaey will inform the WOC organizers who the IFOS Representatives are, and they will coordinate the free registration.

3. IFOS General Assembly, “WORLD” Roundtable and Advocacy Luncheon

The IFOS General Assembly will be from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. on June 27, 2008 in Hong Kong, the day before the start of the World Ophthalmology Congress.

Before the Assembly, starting at 1:30 on June 27, there will be an ICO World Ophthalmology Roundtable on Leadership Development (WORLD), to which the leaders of all ophthalmologic societies are invited. It will focus on enhancing ophthalmic education, advocacy and the development of ophthalmologic societies and future leaders.

At lunchtime on that same day, we will have a meeting of the “advocates” that we have asked societies to designate to work with the ICO (see www.icoph.org/news/ifos0709.html).

Note: your society's “advocate” and the IFOS Representative can be the same person if you would like but can also be different. Only the person designated as IFOS Representative will receive free registration to the WOC.

We will send you more information on all three events, but I hope you will plan to be in Hong Kong no later than the morning of June 27.

4. Register Soon for the 2008 WOC

I would encourage you to register soon for the World Ophthalmology Congress in Hong Kong, as the most desirable hotel rooms are being booked. You can register and reserve a hotel room at the same time on the Congress Web site at: www.woc2008hongkong.org.

Scientific Program Committee Chair Steve Ryan, MD, and Co-Chair Clement Tham, MD, are putting the finishing touches on an outstanding scientific program for Hong Kong, with more than 1000 prominent international speakers and 400 sessions in 28 subspecialty areas. We appreciate the significant contributions to the program of IFOS member subspecialty societies.

Congress President Dennis Lam, MD, and his team in Hong Kong are working hard to make this an event you will never forget. Abstract submission for free papers, posters and videos is open, and an overview of the program will be on the Congress Web site soon. The deadline for submitting abstracts is December 15.

If you are not already receiving WOC 2008 E-Xpress by e-mail, I would encourage you to read past issues at www.woc2008hongkong.org/woc_eblast_past.html and subscribe at www.woc2008hongkong.org/subscribep.html.

5. Please Help Publicize the World Ophthalmology Congress

We would appreciate whatever you can do to inform your members and others about the 2008 World Ophthalmology Congress and encourage them to join us in Hong Kong.

Please add a link to the Congress (www.woc2008hongkong.org) to your Web site. You can also download the following from www.woc2008hongkong.org/downloads.html for use in promotion:

• WOC 2008 Logo (small and large sizes, in jpeg format)
• WOC 2008 Presentation File (PowerPoint)
• WOC 2008 Advertisement (jpeg and PDF)
• WOC 2008 Program Overview (PDF).

 In some cases, you may need to right click and save the item to your computer.

Thank you in advance for helping us make all ophthalmologists and others involved in eye care aware of the Congress.

I hope to see you both in New Orleans and Hong Kong.

With warm regards,

Bruce Spivey, MD
ICO President

945 Green Street
San Francisco, CA, 94133, USA
(1-415) 409-8410
Fax: (1-415) 409-8403
spivey@icoph.org
www.icoph.org