The European Ophthalmic Pathology Society is a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...

for advancing

ophthalmic pathology Ophthalmic pathology is the subspecialty of surgical pathology and also a subspecialty of ophthalmology which deals with the diagnosis and characterization of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the eyes. Ophthalmic pathologists generally work ...

, the study of the pathological basis of the diseases of the

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

and its adnexa: the

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a p ...

eyelid An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid, exposing the cornea to the outside, giving vision. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. The human eyel ...

conjunctiva The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the sclera (the white of the eye). It is composed of non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium with goblet cells, stratified columnar epithelium ...

and the

lacrimal apparatus The lacrimal apparatus is the physiological system containing the Orbit (anatomy), orbital structures for tears, tear production and drainage.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Com ...

History

Founded in April 1962 at the premises of the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The ...

in London, it was inspired by a similar learned society in the United States, the Verhoeff-Zimmerman Society, founded in 1945 and at that time called "The American Ophthalmic Pathology Club". In the early 1960s, ophthalmic pathology in Europe was not yet recognized as a distinct discipline and its practitioners had rarely had a formal training in the subject. Invitations to an inaugural meeting to be held in London were sent by

Norman Ashton Ashtons was a housebuilder in Yorkshire in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. History Norman Ashton started his Leeds-based housebuilding business in 1933, and it was incorporated in 1938 as Norman C Ashton Ltd. Following the outbreak of war in 193 ...

of London, S. Ry Andersen of Copenhagen, and Willem Manschot of Rotterdam to about 30 prospective members in May, 1961, together with details of what would be expected of them: * The members should have a special knowledge of ocular pathology. * They should be actively engaged in this work. * They should have adequate laboratory facilities. * They should have sufficient pathological material to provide interesting cases for the meetings. The society is governed by its council, which is chaired by the society's president, according to a

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

and bye-laws. The members of the council and the president are elected from and by the Ordinary Members, the basic members of the society, who are themselves elected by existing Ordinary Members and are limited to 35 in number. The council is elected for three years and consists of the president, the corresponding secretary and the organizing secretary, the latter being responsible for organizing the next scientific meeting. The current officers, elected in June 2017 and June 2019 (Organizing Secretary), are: * President: Tero Kivelä, MD (Finland) * Corresponding Secretary: Elisabeth Messmer, MD (Germany) * Organizing Secretary: Luis Alfaro, MD (Spain)

Functions and activities

According to its constitution, the aim of the society is to promote the advancement of ophthalmic pathology by co-ordination with general

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

, general

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

and allied sciences. In addition, it encourages research, teaching and improvement of technical methods in ophthalmic pathology through scientific meetings. The society organizes an annual meeting typically held in a city where one of its Ordinary Members is located, and branded symposia on ophthalmic pathology in collaboration with general ophthalmological congresses held in Europe and elsewhere.

References

External links

* {{authority control Pan-European scientific societies International professional associations based in Europe Ophthalmology organizations Pathology organizations Scientific organizations established in 1962