The International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) is an international organisation that represents professional associations of

ophthalmologists 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 ...

. It is headquartered in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. The Board of Trustees is the executive body and operational arm of the ICO.

History

The ICO was established in 1857 in Brussels when 150 ophthalmologists from 24 countries met in the first International Congress of Ophthalmology. The Advisory Board (executive body) was created in 1927 in

Scheveningen Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict (''wijk'') of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is po ...

, Netherlands Member societies were added (International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies) in 1933 in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. Prior to July 2008, International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS) was the official name of the organization, with the ICO serving as the executive body. Over time, "ICO" became better known than IFOS, leading to considerable confusion and a proposal to adopt a single name. The names for the separate parts of the group are now combined under one name, ICO. As a founding member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), the ICO participates in the IAPB’s VISION 2020 initiative, supports and enables ICO member education programs and runs their own ICO initiatives sponsored by the ICO Foundation.

Programs

* The World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC); The council presents the Gonin Medal every four years at the WOC. * ICO International Basic Science Assessment and Clinical Sciences Assessment for Ophthalmologists * ICO International Fellowships * ICO International Clinical Guidelines * International Standards For Vision,

Eye Care Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Un ...

and Ophthalmology * Research Agenda for Global Blindness Prevention * Vision for the Future, the International Ophthalmology Strategic Plan to Preserve and Restore Vision * Advocacy for preservation of vision * Ophthalmic education initiatives

References

External links

World Ophthalmology Congress
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International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)

VISION 2020

ICO Foundation
{{authority control International medical and health organizations Ophthalmology organizations