ICO Leader Letter:
Input Requested for ICO Strategic Planning

May 2006, Volume 3, Number 5

In This Issue:

1. We Want Your Participation in Planning (Bruce Spivey, MD)

2. Please Answer These Questions (Bruce Spivey, MD)

3. Opportunity To Increase Support for Prevention of Blindness (Hugh Taylor, MD)

4. WHO Renews Relationship With ICO/IFOS (Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD)

5. Future Congresses of Supranational Societies (Jean-Jacques DeLaey, MD)

6. Comments Requested on Draft Curricula This Month (Mark Tso, MD)

7. Next ICO and IFOS Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress

8. Coming in the June ICO Leader Letter

9. More News

10. Request for other News and Resources

11. Forward the ICO Leader Letter to your Colleagues

12. Comments, Change of Address, Privacy Policy, Subscribe and Unsubscribe

1. We Want Your Participation in Planning

Bruce Spivey, MD

For us to define a plan that is both visionary and practical, it is important to have the participation of ophthalmologic leaders around the world. We want to hear your ideas about the future of ophthalmology and the ICO/IFOS. For that reason, we have set up a "Forum on the Future" at: www.icoph.org/plan.

We already have good participation in the Forum from members of the Council and IFOS, but we would like to hear from other ophthalmologic leaders as well. Please visit the Forum and answer the questions listed under #2 below.

We will ask more questions and report on the progress and outcomes of our strategic planning in future issues of the ICO Leader Letter. But your involvement is critical. Thank you in advance for your contributions.

- Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President

2. Please Answer These Questions

To give the Council greater perspective on the future environment for ophthalmology, we would like to hear your answers to these questions:

• What do you think will be the greatest needs of individual ophthalmologists in your country over the next five to 10 years (e.g., new knowledge and skills, access to technology or equipment, financial security, etc.)?
  
  
• What are the greatest needs of your ophthalmologic society? What are the biggest obstacles to achieving your goals (e.g., lack of funding, lack of participation, difficulty communicating with members, etc.)?

We would also appreciate your answers to questions in the "Forum on the Future" on the trends that will affect us in the future and the strengths and weaknesses of international ophthalmology and the ICO/IFOS.

To answer, please go to www.icoph.org/plan. Under each of the questions, click on the link for "comments." Type your answer in the box for comments, select "Other," type in your name and then click "Publish Your Comment." You don't need to register or sign in.

You can select "Anonymous" if you prefer, but we would rather know who is submitting the comments.

You can also answer by replying to this e-mail. We will add your comments in the Forum unless you ask us not to. But we would rather have you post your answers at http://www.icoph.org/plan.

We will ask more questions in the months ahead, and all comments will be shared with participants in a small planning session we have scheduled early in July in Zurich. After that session, we will ask for your feedback on the plans that are defined.

Thanks for your participation in this process, which will help to shape the future of international ophthalmology and the ICO/IFOS.

- Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President

3. Opportunity To Increase Support for Prevention of Blindness

Hugh Taylor, MD

Yet the personal and economic impact of blindness and vision loss on individuals, communities and countries is well documented and is certain to increase as the population ages. See, for example, the Executive Summary of the recent VISION 2020 "State of the World's Sight" report, which you can download from www.v2020.org/world_sight_day/documents/ExecutiveSummary.pdf.

Ophthalmology has the duty to increase the focus on eye care and prevention of blindness and a unique opportunity when the World Health Assembly (WHA) considers WHO Resolution EB117.R4 on May 22 to 27 in Geneva. The resolution calls for increasing support for prevention of blindness and visual loss around the world.

If you haven't already done so, please contact your national minister of health and other delegates to the WHA as soon as possible and ask them to support adoption of Resolution EB117.R4.

At www.icoph.org/wha, you can download:

• a sample letter to ministers of health that can be adapted and translated
• the resolution
• a slide show designed for ministers
• other documents that make a strong case for increasing support for prevention of blindness.

Your action now can make a real difference in the resources that are allocated to prevention of blindness, both internationally and within your countries. Thank you.

- Hugh Taylor, MD, ICO Advocacy Director

4. WHO Renews Relationship With ICO/IFOS

Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD

The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed its official relationship and collaboration with the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS), the parent body of the ICO, for another three years.

In a recent letter, R. P. Kean, Director of WHO's Department of Governing Bodies and External Relationships, said, "I would also like to thank your members [i.e., ophthalmologic societies] for their continued interest in working with WHO. I hope that the activities planned for the next three years ... will be as fruitful as in the past."

WHO greatly appreciates the contributions that the ICO/IFOS and other ophthalmologic societies make to the VISION 2020: The Right To Sight and to other initiatives to protect and restore vision for the people of the world.

- Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD, Member of Advisory Committee to the ICO and Coordinator, WHO Prevention of Blindness and Deafness Programme

5. Future Congresses of Supranational Societies

Jean-Jacques DeLaey, MD

You may want to note the following dates for Congresses of supranational ophthalmologic societies:

Afro-Asian Council of Ophthalmology:

• June 20 - 25, 2007, Marrakech, Morocco

Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology:

• June 10 - 14, 2006, Singapore (www.apao2006.com)
• November 11 - 14, 2006, Las Vegas, USA (joint with American Academy of Ophthalmology, www.aao.org/annual_meeting/index.cfm)
• February 24 - 28, 2007, Lahore, Pakistan (www.apao2007.com)

European Ophthalmological Society:

• June 9 - 12, 2007, Vienna, Austria (www.soe2007.org)
• June 13 - 16, 2009, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Middle-East African Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO, formerly the Pan-Arab African Council of Ophthalmology):

• March 29 - April 1, 2007, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology:

• May 31 - June 3, 2007, Cancun, Mexico (www.apaocancun.org.mx)

- Jean-Jacques DeLaey, MD, ICO Secretary General

6. Comments Requested on Draft Curricula This Month

Mark Tso, MD

A reminder that comments are requested as soon as possible on new curricula and guidelines for ophthalmic education drafted by ICO international task forces:

• curricula for education of allied eye care providers (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurricpara.pdf - 368 KB)
  
  
• guidelines for continuing medical education in ophthalmology (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurriccme.pdf - 244 KB).

Please send comments to me at education@icoph.org. After we have heard from you, we will revise and edit the curricula and guidelines for publication.

Also available are newly revised versions of curriculum guidelines for:

• residency training in ophthalmology (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurricres.pdf - 356 KB)
  
  
• ophthalmic education of medical students (www.icoph.org/pdf/icocurricmed.pdf - 220 KB).

The ICO encourages ophthalmologic societies and residency programs to adapt these curricula as needed and use them as basis for enhancing ophthalmic education.

Thank you in advance for your comments.

- Mark Tso, MD, ICO Education Director

7. Next ICO and IFOS Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC)

• International Council of Ophthalmology: March 23, 2007, Cape Town, South Africa
  
  
• WOC: June 28 - July 2, 2008 in Hong Kong (www.woc2008hongkong.org)
  
  
• IFOS General Assembly: during the WOC in Hong Kong

Other future ICO/IFOS Meetings: www.icoph.org/lead/icomeet.html.

8. Coming in the June ICO Leader Letter:

World Sight Day 2006

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, you can forward this issue to them by clicking on this link.

12. Comments, Change of Address, Privacy Policy, Subscribe and Unsubscribe

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