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ICO Leader Letter

WOC 2012 in Abu Dhabi

May 2011, Volume 8, Number 5

1. WOC 2012: Abstract Submission Deadline June 1, 2011

I look forward to welcoming you to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for the 2012 World Ophthalmology Congress® (WOC), February 16-20.

The deadline for abstract submission is fast approaching. Abstracts must be received by June 1, 2011, midnight in Abu Dhabi. Abstracts may be submitted online at: www.woc2012.org/call_for_papers.html.

This is the first time the WOC will be held in the Middle East and Africa Region, and Abu Dhabi was chosen for its vibrancy, convenience and excellent facilities. I encourage you to join us and register now for WOC 2012 if you have not already.

See you in Abu Dhabi!

– Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President

2. SOE/AAO Joint Congress in Geneva

The ICO will be participating in the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) Joint Congress with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 4–7, 2011.

The ICO will host a symposium at the Congress on Saturday afternoon, June 4, Eye Care in Africa. How Can Europe Help? During the ICO symposium, the Occitane Prize will be presented.

In addition to the ICO presentation, the Congress will offer four Key Note Lecturers:

• Wolfgang Drexler will be discussing optical coherence tomography (OCT): Pushing the frontiers of retinal OCT;
• Anders Heijl will focus on glaucoma: Lessons from the early manifest glaucoma trial;
• Shigeru Kinoshita will offer his insights on cornea:, Towards sophisticated therapeutic modalities for corneal diseases; and
• Jonathan Trobe will spotlight neuro-ophthalmology: The Management of optic neuritis: why is there so much controversy?

Finally, please stop by the ICO Booth (#1430) in Geneva to learn the latest about the ICO.

Program information is available at: www.soe2011.org/Symposium/Programme.aspx.

Detailed information about the SOE/AAO Joint Congress is available at: www.soe2011.org/SiteSpecific/SOE2011/StartPage.aspx

– Jean-Jacques De Laey, MD, ICO Secretary General

3. ICO Advanced Exam on October 13

The ICO started to offer examinations (at first called “Assessments”) in 1995 and more and more ophthalmologists take the exams each year.

This year’s Basic and Clinical Sciences Examinations took place April 7, 2011, at 113 exam centers in 67 countries with 2,010 candidates taking the exams.

The ICO Advanced Examination will be offered on October 13, 2011. This Advanced Examination is offered to ophthalmologists who have passed the complete Basic Science and Clinical Science Exams or an examination of similar standard recognized by the ICO Examinations Committee. Successful candidates are allowed to use the post-nominal acronym of FICO when they have passed a local face-to-face examination.

For further information, please see the ICO Exams Web site, www.icoexams.org, or email the Examinations team at assess@icoph.

– David Taylor, FRCOphth, ICO Director for Examinations

4. Advocacy Workshop on July 6 in Buenos Aires

The ICO Advocacy Committee is collaborating with the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology and VISION 2020 Latin America to offer an Advocacy Workshop during the July 6-9, 2011, Pan-American Ophthalmology Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The half-day training session is open to everyone and is scheduled for July 6, 2011. The Advocacy Workshop Agenda is available at: www.icoph.org/downloads/BA-Advocacy-Workshop.pdf and you can register at: www.icoph.org/rsvp/Workshop_for_Advocates_Buenos_Aires_2011.htm.

The ICO Advocacy Committee leads and coordinates the efforts of the ICO and international ophthalmology to increase support for eye care and prevention of vision loss worldwide.

The Committee collaborates with ophthalmologic organizations, governments and non-governmental organizations to support implementation of VISION 2020, the Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness.

– Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD, ICO Director for Advocacy

5. Eyexcel Workshop, July 26-29, 2011

With the goal of instructing eye care providers on how to develop their own training center, Lions Aravind Institute of Ophthalmology (LAICO), the Seva Foundation and the International Council of Ophthalmology will offer a workshop, Eyexcel-Expanding Global Eye Care Workforce Through Excellence in Training, at LAICO in Madurai, India, July 26-29, 2011.

Lions Aravind Eye Hospital sees more than 1.5 million patients per year and operates on 300,000, making it one of the largest eye care providers in the world. Training other eye care providers how to replicate this success is critical to meeting the VISION 2020 aim to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

Experienced faculty from Aravind and international institutions, including Karl Golnik, MD, chair of ICO’s courses for residency program directors, will be conducting the fourth offering of this highly interactive workshop, where the majority of time will be spent in practice and application.

The number of participants is limited to 60. The deadline for registration is June 15, 2011. An informational brochure and application form can be downloaded at: www.aravind.org/education/courseprofile.aspx?tmpcatcode=C000000088&tmpcoursecode=C000000425

– Akef El Maghraby, MD, ICO Vice President

6. Japanese Ophthalmologists Help with Recovery

Following the recent tragic events in Japan, the commitment and fortitude of Japanese ophthalmologists is exemplified every day by the work they do on behalf of members of their community. Despite their own personal losses, Japanese ophthalmologists have been visiting the shelters and providing free eye care. Throughout Japan, there have been donations of eye drops, contact lenses, contact lens solutions, spectacles, and ophthalmology devices and instruments.

Despite these daily challenges and in the spirit of rebuilding and moving forward, the Japanese Ophthalmological Society held its annual meeting in Tokyo  from May 12-15 as scheduled.

At no other time have we felt the friendship and support from all over the world. Thank you so much.

– Tetsuro Oshika, MD, Japanese Ophthalmological Society Chief Executive

7. ICOFoundation Provides Financial Assistance to Japan

In response to the overwhelming destruction and loss that has impacted our friends in Japan, the ICOFoundation (ICOF) has donated $10,000 to the Japanese Ophthalmological Society (JOS) and $10,000 to the Japanese National Society for the Prevention of Blindness (JNSPB) to support relief and rebuilding. 

Readers who would like to also contribute to the relief efforts in Japan can send donations to the ICOF at www.icofoundation.org/contribute/index.php, and specifying the monies are for the JOS relief fund.  

8. Next ICO Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress

ICO Board of Trustees Meeting: February 15, 2012, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

9. Future World Ophthalmology Congresses and Other ICO Meetings

World Ophthalmology Congress® (WOC) 

Please mark you calendars for these future World Ophthalmology Congresses of the ICO:

• WOC2014: Tokyo, Japan, April 2-6, 2014: www.woc2014.org
  hosted by the Japanese Ophthalmological Society
  Like the WOC2014 on Facebook: facebook.com/WOC2014
  Follow the WOC2014 on Twitter: twitter.com/WOC2014
• WOC2016: Guadalajara, Mexico, February 5–9, 2016, hosted by the Mexican Society of Ophthalmology
• WOC2018: Barcelona, Spain, June 16-20, 2018, hosted by the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology.

Other ICO Meetings

• Conference for Ophthalmic Educators: Copenhagen, Denmark, June 7, 2013:  www.icoph.org/Denmark-Conference-for-Educators.html.  
• Conference for Ophthalmic Educators: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 6, 2013: www.icoph.org/Brazil-Conference-for-Educators.html.  
• General Assembly: The ICO General Assembly, the biennial meeting of ICO Member societies, will be held in conjunction with the 2014 World Ophthalmology Congress in Tokyo, Japan.

10. Important Reminders

• Confirm your society data is accurate and help the ICO track ophthalmic trends: icoph.org/ophthalmologists-worldwide.html
• Pay your annual dues and receive all the benefits of ICO membership: www.icoph.org/member_dues_payment.html
• Create or update your account with the ICO: www.icoph.org/create_account.html
• Customize your ICO content: www.icoph.org/create_account.html

11. Our Donors

The ICO gratefully recognizes grants, gifts, and pledges to the ICOFoundation. This support allows us to continue our important and effective programs, creating a global alliance to prevent avoidable blindness and visual impairment.

Support the programs of the ICO by contributing to the ICOFoundation: icofoundation.org/contribute/make-a-donation.html

12. ICO Resources and Websites

• ICO Center for Ophthalmic Educators: www.educators.icoph.org
  • Sign up for the Ophthalmic Educators Letter: www.icoph.org/letter_signup.html.
• ICO Examinations: www.icoexams.org
• ICO International Fellowships: www.icoph.org/refocusing_education/fellowships.html
• ICOFoundation: www.icofoundation.org
• Information and Resources: For information about all the ICO programs and initiatives and to find valuable ophthalmologic resources, go to the ICO website at: www.icoph.org
• Contact Us.  To contact the ICO, go to: www.icoph.org/about/contact_us.html.
• Let Us Know.  Do you have ophthalmology news or know of resources (particularly on the Web) that would be of value to ophthalmologic leaders? Please let us know at: leader@icoph.org.
• Comments and Suggestions. Send comments and suggestions for the Leader Letter to: leader@icoph.org.
• Subscribe. To subscribe to the Leader Letter, go to: www.icoph.org/leader_letter_signup.html
• Archive. You can read this issue and previous issues of the ICO Leader Letter online at:  www.icoph.org/news/leader_letter.html
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