IFOS Notes:
2008 World Ophthalmology Congress in Hong Kong

Dear IFOS Members and Friends,

1. January 31 Deadline for Early Registration

A reminder that Thursday, January 31, is the deadline for early registration for the World Ophthalmology Congress, June 28 – July 2, 2008 in Hong Kong. If you haven’t already registered and reserved a hotel room, I would urge you to do so as soon as possible at: www.woc2008hongkong.org.

2. Let Us Know Your IFOS Representative

If members of the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS) have not already informed ICO Secretary General Jean-Jacques De Laey, MD, who your IFOS Representative will be in Hong Kong, please do so as soon as possible, at jean.delaey@ugent.be. Please include an e-mail and postal/mailing address for your IFOS Representative.

IFOS Representatives must be named no later than February 29.

The official Representatives from each IFOS Member are the only ones who receive free registration for the Congress. Everyone else must pay for their registration, including speakers, members of the Council and the President of the ICO! (Council members also pay for their own travel expenses for the annual Council meeting and WOC.)

Dr. DeLaey will inform the WOC organizers who the IFOS Representatives are, and they will coordinate the free registration.

3. IFOS General Assembly Will Consider Name Change

The IFOS General Assembly will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27 in Hong Kong, and one item on the agenda will be a change in the name of the organization.

The Council will recommend revisions in the Statutes to change the name of IFOS to the “International Council of Ophthalmology.” If approved, societies will then be members of the ICO, and the current Council will become the “Board of Trustees.”

The change is recommended to clear up the confusion that exists because the official name of the organization is IFOS, but it is best known as the ICO.

I encourage you to plan to arrive in Hong Kong no later than Friday morning, as there will also be a luncheon for society advocates and an ICO World Ophthalmology Roundtable on Leadership Development (WORLD) on the afternoon of June 27, to which you are all invited.

4. Have You Paid 2007 Dues?

IFOS Members must have paid their 2007 dues for their Representatives to register for the Congress at no charge. If you haven’t paid your 2007 IFOS dues and do not have an invoice, please contact ICO Treasurer Yasuo Tano, MD, at tano@ophthal.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.

We are working to make it possible to pay 2008 dues by credit card. As soon as we have that system set up, Professor Tano will send out invoices for the 2008 dues. Payment of 2008 dues will be required for IFOS Representatives to participate in the IFOS General Assembly.

5. Outstanding Scientific Program

We expect the scientific program for the WOC 2008 to be the best ever, thanks largely to the contributions of IFOS Member subspecialty societies.

More than 1500 international experts have agreed to speak in 250 scientific sessions covering 28 subspecialty areas. You can view an outline and preliminary schedule at www.woc2008hongkong.org/sc8.html.

6. First World Ophthalmic Education Colloquium (WOEC)

I expect one of the highlights of the Congress to be the first-ever World Ophthalmic Education Colloquium (WOEC 2008), which ICO Director for Education Mark Tso, MD, has organized for June 28. There will be more than 100 speakers in 18 symposia focused on enhancing all aspects of enhancing ophthalmic education around the world.

If you are involved in education in any way (which most of us are), please plan to participate in the WOEC 2008 on June 28 in Hong Kong.

7. More Information from WOC 2008 E-Express

If you are signed up to receive WOC 2008 E-Xpress by e-mail, you will receive more information on the WOEC 2008 and other news of the Congress in the next few days. If you are not, you can subscribe at www.woc2008hongkong.org/subscribep.html and read past issues at www.woc2008hongkong.org/woc_eblast_past.html.

8. Please Help Publicize the WOC

Again, I 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 logos, presentations and other resources for use in promotion from www.woc2008hongkong.org/downloads.html.

Thank you in advance for helping us to inform all ophthalmologists and others involved in eye care about the Congress.

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