Leading players gather for ophthalmology's World Cup

Dermot McGrath

Published: Monday, June 18, 2018

With the cream of world football currently in Russia to compete for the World Cup, the elite surgeons and vision scientists of world ophthalmology congregated in Barcelona, Spain for their own special event this weekend - the 36th World Ophthalmology Congress, which takes place in the Catalan capital from 16-19 June. More than 10,000 delegates from over 140 countries are attending WOC 2018, which offers a scientific programme of over 350 sessions addressing all subspecialties and related interests in ophthalmology. Now organised every two years by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO), the WOC claims to be the longest continuous international medical meeting in the world, with the very first WOC taking place back in 1857. Speaking at the opening ceremony, ICO President Hugh Taylor MD welcomed delegates from around the globe and said that they could look forward to a stimulating scientific programme allied to a wonderful variety of social events in Barcelona. He praised the hard work of the organising team, in particular Clement Tham MD, Chair of the Scientic Programme Committee, and Rafael Barraquer MD, PhD, WOC 2018 President. He reminded delegates that the next WOC in June 2020 will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, the first time ever that the WOC will take place on the African continent, followed by Melbourne, Australia in February 2022.