The European Association for Vision and Eye Research is a multidisciplinary scientific society that aims to encourage research and the dissemination of knowledge concerning 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 vision by means of meetings, publications and exchange of information. It is an international

non-profit association A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

formed in agreement with the Belgian Law. EVER is the largest European research association that covers all areas of ophthalmology and the vision science. The association currently has members from over 48 countries within Europe and abroad, and is organized in 11 scientific sections. EVER was founded in 1997 in Montpellier, France, when The Association for Eye Research (AER), the European Community Ophthalmic Research Association (ECORA) and the Joint European Meetings in Ophthalmology and Vision (JERMOV) merged, and recognized by the Belgian Royal Decree on 20 September 1998.

Functions and activities

EVER arranges its annual congress at the end of September or the beginning of October at a location close to the Mediterranean. The current location since 2012 has been Nice, France. Previously, the association has met in

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

, Spain, in 1998-2000,

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

, Spain, in 2001-2003, Vilamoura, Portugal, in 2004-2006, Portoroz, Slovenia, in 2007-2009 and Crete, Greece, in 2010-2011. Central events include free papers, special interest symposia, and keynote lectures. The association collaborates with other societies in the same field and some of these convene annually with EVER.

Organizational structure

Membership is open to individuals of any nationality. Engagement or an interest in ophthalmic and vision research is required. A category for members-in-training also exists. The association is governed by its General Assembly and Board, which are chaired by its President, according to its

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

s and bye-laws. The members of the Board are elected from and by the effective members of the association. The Board has an Executive Council with a President, Secretary General, Treasurer, Program Secretary, President Elect, Vice President, Vice President Elect, Past President (

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

), and EVER Foundation liaison (

), and the Chairs of the 11 scientific sections: * Anatomy /

Cell Biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...

* Cornea / Ocular Surface * Electrophysiology /

Physiological Optics Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

/ Vision Sciences * Glaucoma * Immunology /

Microbiology Microbiology () is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, prot ...

* Lens and Cataract * Molecular Biology / Genetics / Epidemiology * Neuro-ophthalmology / Strabismology / Paediatric / History * Physiology / Biochemistry /

Pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

* Pathology / Oncology * Retina /

Vitreous Vitreous may refer to: Materials * Glass, an amorphous solid material ** Vitreous enamel, a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing * Vitreous lustre, a glassy luster or sheen on a mineral surface Biology * Vitreous body, ...

Board members are elected for five years. In case none of the elected Board members has the Belgian nationality, the Board will immediately co-opt a supplementary Board member of Belgian nationality. At the end of their term of office, Board members are eligible to become President or Vice President of the Association for a term of one year. The President, the Vice-President and the Program Secretary are appointed by the Board. The current officers, are: * President: Prof. Alain Bron, France (2017-2018) * Secretary General: Thomas Fuchsluger, Germany (2017-2022) * Treasurer: Steffen Heegaard, Denmark (2014-2019) * Program Secretary: Francesca Cordeiro, United Kingdom (2016-2021) The Past Presidents of EVER are: The Current Board Members are:http://www.ever-f.eu/page.php?edi_id=784 * Andreas Clemens * Bahram BODAGHI * Jean-Frederic CHIBRET * Jean-Jacques DE LAEY * Tero KIVELÄ * Constantin J. POURNARAS * Gabriela SABORIO * Gisèle SOUBRANE * Marlene VERLAECKT

Official Journal

The official journal of EVER is Acta Ophthalmologica since April 2006. Since 2006, the EVER Board and the Board of the Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation have jointly organized an annual EVER-Acta Lecture at the time of the annual congress of EVER. The speaker is chosen in alternate years by the EVER Board and the Acta Board, and is honored with the EVER-Acta Silver Medal. The recipients of this medal and their keynote lecture topics so far are:

References

External links

* {{authority control Pan-European scientific societies International professional associations based in Europe Ophthalmology organizations Scientific organizations established in 1997 1997 establishments in Europe