November editorial – Worldwide Expertise

The future of paediatric eye care lies in individuals who are enthused and energetic and committed to the specialty, writes Dr Ken Nischal

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We have just returned from Lisbon, Portugal, where we convened our 4th WSPOS Paediatric Subspecialty Day, which preceded the XXXV Congress of the ESCRS. The subspecialty day was a big success and I would like to thank everyone who attended the meeting. Now our focus turns to the IV World Congress of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, which takes place in Hyderabad, India, from 1-3 December. This meeting, the first WCPOS to be held outside Europe, and the first to be held independently from an adult focus meeting, will send out the message that expertise resides all over the world. At our first WCPOS in Barcelona in 2009, people who ordinarily did not get the chance to present on the world stage were given the opportunity to speak to their colleagues. One of the major objectives of WSPOS is to change the perceptions of some of the paediatric ophthalmologists in the developed world, and our meeting in Hyderabad will reinforce this collegial ethos. The majority of eye care delivered to children in the world is by adult ophthalmic surgeons who see children, as well as dedicated paediatric ophthalmologists. For this reason we have a dedicated ‘Adult-Paediatric Interface’ day on Saturday 2 December. As Dr Soosan Jacob points out in the Cover Story in this issue, it is important that adult ophthalmic surgeons who are taking the time to look after children are able to discuss their expertise and their problems with paediatric ophthalmologists. It is also important that paediatric ophthalmologists can learn from their adult counterparts about techniques that they are not aware of. WSPOS currently has 1,969 Members in addition to 18 Chapters and 47 Member Societies, and we look forward to meeting many of you in Hyderabad. We are proud to present a very exciting scientific programme. Professor Harminder Dua will present the Keynote Kanski Medal Lecture on the topic “Posterior Corneal Anatomy – Context, Controversy, Corroboration and Clinical Considerations”. The Keynote Strabismus Lecture will be presented by Professor Richard Hertle and will discuss “How and What We Learned from Studying Nystagmus in Infancy and Childhood”. The Keynote Non-Strabismus Lecture presented by Professor Lea Hyvarinen will focus on “The Important First Year.” For the full programme, please visit www.wspos.org We also hope to see many young ophthalmologists attending our meeting. WSPOS is a global organisation that reaches out to ophthalmologists of all age groups, and the future of paediatric eye care lies in individuals who are enthused and energetic and committed to paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. At our meeting we will offer an opportunity for people who are not sure if they are interested in paediatric ophthalmology to come and learn about a broad spectrum of subjects that we hope will instil enthusiasm in them to take up the challenges that we are going to discuss. Finally, I would like to thank EuroTimes, the official magazine of ESCRS, for giving WSPOS the opportunity to speak to its 43,000 readers. I am delighted that this issue of EuroTimes has a special focus on paediatric ophthalmologists and I urge you to read the excellent articles that have been written to publicise our meeting and also to give the wider ophthalmic opportunity a new insight into paediatric ophthalmology. Thank you, and see you in Hyderabad!