(For previous issues of the Leader Letter, go to: www.icoph.org/news/letters.html.)
As many of us prepare to travel to São Paulo for World Ophthalmology Congress/XXX International Congress of Ophthalmology on February 19 - 24, there is significant good news to report: As Nag Rao, MD, describes below, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted a resolution calling for renewed national and international focus on prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. This issue of the Leader Letter also previews the World Congress and offers links to resources to help you get the most out of your visit to Brazil. The March Leader Letter issue will report on the Congress, including meetings of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) and the General Assembly of the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS). By that time, new officers will have assumed the leadership of the ICO, so I will no longer be introducing the Leader Letter. It has been a pleasure "connecting" with you, both online and in person, and I look forward to seeing many of you in São Paulo. - Fritz Naumann, MD, ICO President 2. WHO Resolution To Support VISION 2020
I am happy to report that, on January 26, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) passed a resolution that offers critical support for our efforts to prevent avoidable blindness and visual impairment in general and for the “VISION 2020: The Right To Sight” global initiative in particular. The Executive Board adopted resolution EB117.R4 on "Prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment," which asks Member States (i.e., countries) to:
The resolution asks WHO to:
You can download the resolution from www.icoph.org/pdf/WHOresolutionEB117R4.pdf. The resolution will be on the agenda of the 59th World Health Assembly, scheduled May 22 to 27 in Geneva. Member States will be free to comment on the text and suggest changes, and then the Resolution will be presented for adoption. - Nag Rao, MD, Council Member and President of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness 3. World Congress Social Program and Details
Below are some highlights of the scientific and prevention of blindness programs, including ways that you can access relevant information now to help you prepare for the Congress. Highlights of the social program include:
Some more Congress details: For information on visa requirements, vaccinations and formal invitations, see www.icoph.org/news/ifos0512.html. At www.ophthalmology2006.com.br/tips3.php#airport, you will find tips on arriving in São Paulo, transportation to hotels, currency and other details, plus some useful words and phrases in Portuguese. Pre-registrants are encouraged to pick up your badges and registration materials at the reception desk between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 18. We expect big crowds for registration on Sunday and Monday. Please let us know if there is any way we can make your stay in Brazil more pleasurable. - Rubens Belfort, MD, President of the XXX Congress and ICO Council Member 4. Scientific Program Will Cover the State of the Art
The Scientific Program Committee for the World Ophthalmology Congress focused on making this the highest quality scientific program ever for an International Congress of Ophthalmology. We believe we have succeeded and hope you'll agree. For the first time, there will be four "Subspecialty Days," one-day immersion programs led by some of the world's top ophthalmologists: on Glaucoma (February 20), Retina (February 21), Cataract (February 21) and Cornea and Refractive Surgery (February 23). Other highlights:
You can download the complete final program (7 Megabytes!) from www.ophthalmology2006.com.br/programa_final.pdf. To download a much smaller diagram of the scientific sessions on each day, go to www.ophthalmology2006.com.br/tabela09_12.pdf. Create your own customized agenda for the Congress at www.meetingeventos.com.br/site/meucongresso_oftalmo/login.asp. - Steve Ryan, MD, Chair, and Cristina Muccioli, MD, Co-Chair, Scientific Program Committee, World Ophthalmology Congress 5. World Forum for Non-Profits and Prevention of Blindness Programs One highlights of the World Ophthalmology Congress will be the first-ever World Forum of Non-Profit Organizations on Vision and Prevention of Blindness. Scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 19 in Room 25, the Forum will feature presentations from non-governmental development organizations (NGOs) and ophthalmological societies on initiatives to preserve and protect vision around the world. To preview the program, see www.ophthalmology2006.com.br/ong_prog.php. There will also be many other outstanding programs on preservation of vision at the Congress, including symposia on VISION 2020: The Right to Sight and prevention of blindness for children, adults and the elderly. For a listing and links to details of each symposium, go to http://www.meetingeventos.com.br/site/meucongresso_oftalmo/principal.asp?congresso=wocprog&=PC, click to search on "activity" and then select "Prevention of Blindness." - Sylvia Veitzman, MD, and P.H. Morales, MD, Organizers of the World Forum for Non-Profits 6. ICO Publishes Directory of International Ophthalmology
Once a year, the ICO publishes the Directory of International Ophthalmology to support and enhance communications and interaction among ophthalmologic societies around the world. The Directory lists information about national and international societies and residency programs. We have mailed the 2006 edition of the Directory to the societies listed in it and will have additional copies at the World Congress. The Directory is based on information in the ICO database, which is linked to the ICO Web site. You can check your current listing in the database at www.icoph.org/soc/ifos.cfm. For information on how to update your listing, see www.icoph.org/soc/update.cfm. Thank you for your help in making the Directory possible and keeping the database up-to-date throughout the year. See you in São Paulo! Please stop by the IFOS/ICO/ICOFoundation exhibit at Booth 900. - Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO Secretary General 7. Next ICO and IFOS Meetings
Other future ICO/IFOS Meetings: www.icoph.org/lead/icomeet.html. 8. Coming in the March ICO Leader Letter: Report on 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 [contact-Email]. 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/leader0602.html. For previous issues, go to www.icoph.org/news/letters.html. Copyright © 2006 International Council of Ophthalmology. All rights reserved.  International Council of OphthalmologyHome | News | About ICO/IFOS | ICOFoundation | Contact | Find |
