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ICO Leader Letter

June 2011, Volume 8, Number 6

1. Conference for Ophthalmic Educators

It is still possible to register for the Buenos Aires Conference for Ophthalmic Educators on July 5, 2011. Co-sponsored by the ICO, the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) and the Argentine Council of Ophthalmology (CAO), the Conference for Educators will be held in conjunction with the 19th Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology (www.paao2011buenosaires.org.ar), July 7–9, 2011.

The Conference was organized to help ophthalmic educators learn more about modern educational theory, methods and tools and develop relationships that will enable them to enhance educational programs and ultimately raise the level of eye care in their region.

The first Conference, which was held in March in Sydney, Australia, was considered an outstanding success, with 97% of participants supporting organization of future conferences for educators.

Registration is free, but participants will need to cover their own travel and personal costs. If you haven't already registered officially for the Conference for Educators, please do so at: www.icoph.org/rsvp/Conference_for_Educators_Buenos_Aires_2011.html.

To review the Conference program, the agenda may be downloaded at: www.icoph.org/downloads/BAagenda.pdf.

– Eduardo Mayorga, MD, ICO Director for E-Learning

2. Advocacy Workshop in Buenos Aires

On July 6, 2011, there is a half-day advocacy training session at the PAAO Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Workshop will give "Advocates" who have been designated by their ophthalmologic societies to work with the ICO – and others who are interested in advocacy, including ophthalmologic society leaders – tools and strategies to help generate financing and other support for eye care and prevention of vision loss.

Registration for the Advocacy Workshop is free, but participants will need to cover their own costs. Please register at: icoph.org/rsvp/Workshop_for_Advocates_Buenos_Aires_2011.html.

The agenda for the Workshop in English and Spanish is available at: www.icoph.org/downloads/BA-Advocacy-Workshop.pdf.

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

3. SOE/AAO Joint Congress in Geneva

President Gabriel van Rij, MD, welcomed delegates from 100 countries worldwide to the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) Joint Congress with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) June 4-7 in Geneva, Switzerland.

At the opening ceremony, Past-president of the SOE, Zdenek J. Gregor, FRCS, FRCOphth, received the SOE's Helmholtz Medal in recognition of his outstanding achievement and service in the field of European ophthalmology. Mr. Gregor treated the audience to an elucidating lecture on Hermann von Helmholtz and vitrectomy. He described Helmholtz as “one of the greatest and most rounded scientists in history," adding, “It comes as no surprise to us that he chose ophthalmology as the conduit of his genius.”

We look forward to again gathering with our colleagues in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in February 2012 for the World Ophthalmology Congress®, and also at the next SOE Congress in June 8 – 11, 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

– Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President

4. L’Occitane Sight Award Presented to Volker Klauss at ICO Symposium

At the start of the ICO symposium, “Eye Care in Africa. How Can Europe Help?” ICO board member Volker Klauss was presented with the L’Occitane Sight Award and a prize of 50 000 € for his contributions in tropical ophthalmology. Dr. Klauss then presented the lecture, “The Situation of Eye Care in Anglophone Africa” at the ICO’s symposium, which was one of the featured events at the joint SOE/AAO Congress in Geneva.

View presentations from the ICO symposium.

We congratulate Professor Klauss on receiving this recognition for his outstanding work for the fight against blindness in developing countries.

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

5. WOC 2012: Abstract Submission Deadline Has Been Extended

The World Ophthalmology Congress® (WOC) 2012 abstract submission deadline has been extended to July 1, 2011. Abstracts can be submitted for free papers, posters, videos or instruction courses. Submit your abstract 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.

The WOC 2012 will be held February 16-20, 2012. Early Bird registration ends on July 31, 2011. If you have not already done so, take advantage of these reduced rates by registering now at: www.woc2012.org/register_online.html

You can sign up to receive the WOC 2012 e-newsletter with details on the scientific program at: woc2012.org/join_maling_list.html.

See you in Abu Dhabi!

– Abdulaziz AlRajhi, MD, President, WOC 2012

6. Peking University Diabetic Eye Disease Program

The Peking University Eli Lilly Diabetic Eye Disease Center (PUEC) is continuing to provide life-changing medical care through detection of diabetes and treatment of diabetic eye disease throughout a broad network of urban centers and rural regions in Northern China.

While the needs of China are unique, the PUEC strategy can be used as a starting point for other national eye programs in meeting the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness in your region. To read a detailed report on the program go to: www.icoph.org/downloads/NetworkforDRinChina.pdf.

– Mark Tso, MD, DSc, ICO Director for Education

7. World Sight Day 2011: October 13

World Sight Day 2011 (WSD11) will be on October 13. This year there is no global theme, which allows your organization to highlight priority areas in ways that will resonate with your target audience. We strongly encourage all societies to recognize World Sight Day.

Society activities might include taking part in awareness-raising walks or distributing and displaying posters, bookmarks, booklets and other information that increase knowledge about preventable blindness.

Documents to help you organize and implement plans for World Sight Day are available at: www.VISION2020.org/wsd11-implementation. Materials have been translated into Arabic and German, with French, Spanish and Portuguese versions in preparation.

To receive e-mail updates about World Sight Day, please e-mail communications@VISION2020.org with the subject line ‘World Sight Day UPDATE’.

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

8. Next ICO Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress

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

ICO General Assembly: February 16, 2012, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

World Ophthalmology Congress®: February 16–20, 2012, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (www.woc2012.org)

Upcoming ICO Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congresses

Conference for Ophthalmic Educators, Busan, Korea, April 12:
New Techniques to Enhance Teaching and Learning

• Register online to attend: icoph.org/rsvp/Busan

World Ophthalmology Congress Meetings

• WOC2014: Tokyo, Japan, April 2-6, 2014, www.woc2014.org
• WOC2016: Guadalajara, Mexico, February 5–9, 2016
• WOC2018: Barcelona, Spain (provisional selection, dates to be announced)

More News

For more news of the ICO and international ophthalmology and resources for ophthalmologic leaders, see the ICO Web site at www.icoph.org.

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 ophthalmologic leaders? Please let us know at leader@icoph.org.

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