(For previous issues of the ICO Leader Letter, go to: www.icoph.org/news/letters.html.)
Although ophthalmologists in many developing countries still face significant obstacles to accessing the Internet, there is huge potential for enhancing both ophthalmology residency training and continuing professional development by offering educational resources and programs online. As you can see at www.aao.org/education/index.cfm, the American Academy of Ophthalmology is the leader in ophthalmic education using the Internet. But other members of the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS), non-governmental development organizations and individual ophthalmologists are also creating valuable and innovative educational tools that are available at no cost on the World Wide Web. This issue of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) Leader Letter features several online resources for ophthalmologic education. We encourage the leaders of ophthalmologic societies and residency programs to let your members and ophthalmologists-in-training know about these and other resources. Also, please let us know about other educational resources online that you think are of particular value or interest. We will feature them in future issues of the Leader Letter. Best wishes for health and happiness in 2006, - Fritz Naumann, MD, ICO President 2. Free Atlas of Ophthalmology on the Web
With text available in English, Spanish and German, the Atlas offers 3000 high quality images, including pathological specimens and the results of fluorescein angiography, ultrasound and other diagnostic techniques. The Atlas is constantly adding new images and welcomes submissions of interesting cases. For information on how to submit cases, see www.atlasophthalmology.com. - Mark Tso, MD, ICO Vice President and Program Director for Education 3. Cyber-Sight Offers Case Studies, Consults and CME Credits In an effort to educate and maintain contact with doctors working in its programs around the world, Orbis International has developed a telemedicine initiative called "Cyber-Sight" (telemedicine.orbis.org).Cyber-Sight's educational tools include a clinical "Question of the Week" and case studies in glaucoma, pediatric ophthalmology, retina/vitreous and strabismus. There are also "Ophthalmology Minutes," which are informal mini-lectures on subjects such as examination protocol, ophthalmology nursing and pediatric low vision. And doctors can submit patient management questions. Students can enroll in a Cyber-Sight "e-learning" program and receive international continuing medical education credits. For more information, contact Cyber-Sight Founder and Orbis Ophthalmologist-In-Chief Gene Helveston, MD, at mailto:eugene.helveston@orbis.org. - Mark Tso, MD, ICO Vice President and Program Director for Education 4. Web Site Emulates Consultation with a Pathologist The EyePathologist (www.eyepathologist.org) is an impressive Web site focused on the anatomy and pathology of the eye developed by Gordon Klintworth, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA. "Our goal," Dr. Klintworth says, "was to create an effective new way to educate ophthalmology and pathology trainees about eye diseases, which is especially important given the growing shortage of eye pathologists worldwide." "At the same time, the site will serve as a reference tool for any health professional or layperson seeking up-to-date information on diseases that affect the eye. It's like having an expert eye pathologist available for consultation whenever and wherever you need one." The EyePathologist taps into a database of more than 4,500 diseases that affect vision and the eye, with more than 4,000 high quality images and a glossary of more than 6,000 definitions. Registration is required to use the site, but it is easy to register and free. - Fritz Naumann, MD, ICO President 5. Podcasts of Weekly Ophthalmology Radio Show and Surgical Videos
"As Seen From Here" (www.asseenfromhere.com) is the brainchild of Joshua Young, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine. Each weekly program contains interviews with authors of recent articles in ophthalmology peer-review journals, and there are now 40 programs archived on the Web site. Plus, you can subscribe easily and at no cost to have each weekly "As Seen From Here" program downloaded automatically to your computer or iPod/MP3 player so that you can listen to it whenever it's convenient for you. For more information, visit the Web site or contact Dr. Young at mailto:JYoungMD@gmail.com. If that is not advanced enough for you, go to www.eyepodvideo.org for short videos of surgical procedures from the University of Iowa that you can download to a new video iPod (or watch on your computer). - Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO Secretary General 6. Visa Requirements and Vaccinations for Brazil
If you plan to attend the World Ophthalmology Congress/XXX International Congress of Ophthalmology, February 19 - 24, 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil, we recommend that you check with the Brazilian Consulate or Embassy in your country to find out if you are required to obtain a visa to enter Brazil. Visas are required for visitors from the United States and some other countries, but not all. For more, see: www.ophthalmology2006.com.br/tips3.php. There are links to lists of Brazilian Consulates and Embassies in different countries at: www.mre.gov.br/ingles/endereco/endereco.asp. For information on whether you need a vaccination for yellow fever, see: www.icoph.org/news/ifos0512.html#vaccine. Also, please note that the correct Web site address for the Congress is: www.ophthalmology2006.com.br. An unauthorized Web site with no connection to the Congress has been set up at a similar address. - Rubens Belfort, MD, President of the XXX Congress and ICO Council Member 7. Next ICO and IFOS Meetings
Other Future ICO/IFOS Meetings: www.icoph.org/lead/icomeet.html. 8. Coming in the January ICO Leader Letter: Highlights of the World Ophthalmology Congress 9. More News For more news of the ICO and international ophthalmology and resources for ophthalmologic leaders, see the ICO's Eye Site at www.icoph.org. 10. Request for Other News and Resources Do you have other news of international ophthalmology or know resources (particularly on the Web) that would be valuable to society leaders? Please let us know at leader@icoph.org. 11. Forward the ICO Leader Letter to your Colleagues: If there are other ophthalmologic leaders you think might be interested in seeing this ICO Leader Letter, please forward this issue to them by clicking on this link. 12. Comments, Change of Address, Privacy Policy, Subscribe and Unsubscribe Send comments and suggestions for the Leader Letter to leader@icoph.org. You are subscribed as [email address]. Change your address by sending e-mail to: leader@icoph.org. We do not share e-mail addresses with anyone else. Check our privacy policy at: www.icoph.org/ic/privacy.html. To subscribe to the Leader Letter, visit www.icoph.org/news/subscribe.html. To unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail and type "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) as the subject, click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this page, or send an e-mail to leader@icoph.org. You can read this ICO Leader Letter online at www.icoph.org/news/leader0512.html. For previous issues, go to www.icoph.org/news/letters.html. Copyright © 2005 International Council of Ophthalmology. All rights reserved.  International Council of OphthalmologyHome | News | About ICO/IFOS | ICOFoundation | Contact | Find |
