# International Congress of Ophthalmology

The International Congress of Ophthalmology (French: Congrès international d'ophtalmology, or International Ophthalmological Congress), now known as the World Ophthalmology Congress is a biennial international scientific conference to promote ophthalmological science.

## History

Dr. Évariste Warlomont, who was Editor-in-chief of the French optometry journal Annales d'oculistique and later Director of the Ophthalmic Institute, first suggested and carried into effect the idea of an Ophthalmological Congress. A call to ophthalmologists and physicians interested in the field was issued on January 15, 1857, by an organizing committee formed by the editorial board of Annales d'oculistique to plan a special ophthalmology congress.
The original Organizing Committee of the First International Ophthalmological Congress consisted of Dr. Louis S. Fallot, President of the Academy of Medicine of Belgium; Dr. J. Bosch, Surgeon of the Brabant Ophthalmic Institute; Dr. F. Hairion, Director of the Brabant Ophthalmic Institute; and Dr. J. Van Roosbroeck; Director of the Brabant Ophthalmic Institute. Dr. Évariste Warlomont acted as the secretary general of the congress.

### First congress

When over 150 ophthalmologists from 24 countries gathered in Brussels, Belgium in 1857, the First Periodic International Congress of Ophthalmology (French: Congrès Périodique International D'Ophthalmologie) was inaugurated and the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) was established.
The first Congress of Brussels occurred from September 13 to September 16, 1857, at the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium and the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium at the museum.

### Second congress

The 1862 International Congress of Ophthalmology was held in Paris, France.

### Third congress

Following the second Congress, the 1862 Organizing Committee chose Vienna, Austria as the next location for its meeting, originally set for August 1866. The Vienna Committee, led by Frédéric Jules Sichel, with Dr. Félix Giraud-Teulon and Dr. Louis de Wecker, postponed the Congress due to political unrest during the Unification of Germany and moved it to Paris, France. In 1867, Paris hosted the International Ophthalmological Congress for the second time, from August 12 to 14. The Congress was presided over by Albrecht von Graefe, with Carl Ferdinand von Arlt and Dr. J. F. Vleminckx as vice-presidents, and Giraud-Teulon and Louis de Wecker as secretaries.

### Fourth congress

Opening on August 1, 1872, the Fourth International Ophthalmological Congress was held in London, England until the 3rd of the month. Dutch ophthalmologist Dr. Franciscus Donders held the role of president. The Congress was granted use of the Royal College of Physicians library by its council. At the end of the London session, a provisional committee of New Yorkers Dr. Cornelius Rea Agnew, Dr. Henry Drury Noyes, and Dr. Daniel Bennett St. John Roosa were selected to organize the next International Congress. Cincinnati's Dr. E. Williams was appointed by the committee to be the next president of the International Congress.

### Fifth congress

The Fifth Congress of Ophthalmology was held at Chickering Hall in New York City from September 12 to September 14, 1876. Once the congress was adjourned, the American Ophthalmological Society held a banquet for the foreign delegates at Delmonico's. New York physician H.D. Noye's committee of choice for the next Congress in Milan, Italy included Dr. Hansen of Copenhagen, Prof. Becker of Heidleberg, and Prof. Arlt of Vienna.

### Sixth congress

At the 1880 Congress in Milan, Italy, Dr. Quaglino was elected by the committee to preside. It was held from September 1 to 4, 1880.

### Seventh congress

In 1888, the Seventh Congress was held in Heidelberg from August 8 to 11. Dr. Franciscus Donders, who presided over the London Congress, took on the role of president for the second time at the Congress in Heidelberg.

### Eighth congress

Edinburgh, Scotland was the venue for the Eighth International Ophthalmological Congress, which took place from August 7 to 10, 1894. The 1894 International Ophthalmological Congress, led by President Douglas Argyll Robertson, included Sir Henry Rosborough Swanzy of Dublin and Mr. Power of London as vice-presidents, and Dr. George A. Berry as General Secretary. The first session opened with Robertson's address at the Physiology Department of Edinburgh University, followed by a speech from Lord Provost of Edinburgh James Alexander Russell, who was named an Honorary Member of the Congress.

### Ninth congress

In 1899, the Ninth Ophthalmological Congress took place in Utrecht in the Netherlands. German ophthalmologist Richard Liebreich painted a portrait of Albrecht von Graefe, which he exhibited at the International Ophthalmological Congress.

### Twelfth congress

The proceedings of the Twelfth International Congress in Washington, D.C. took place from April 25 to the 28 in 1922.

### Eighteenth congress

The Eighteenth International Congress of Ophthalmology was held from September 8 to 12, 1958, in Brussels, nearly 100 years after the first-ever congress in Belgium.

## Congress locations and dates

| Number | Year | Location | Notes |
| 1st | 1857 | Brussels, Belgium | |
| 2nd | 1862 | Paris, France | |
| 3rd | 1867 | Paris, France | |
| 4th | 1872 | London, England | |
| 5th | 1876 | New York, United States | |
| 6th | 1880 | Milan, Italy | |
| 7th | 1888 | Heidelberg, Germany | |
| 8th | 1894 | Edinburgh, Scotland | |
| 9th | 1899 | Utrecht, Germany | |
| 10th | 1904 | Lucerne, Switzerland | |
| 11th | 1909 | Naples, Italy | |
| 12th | 1922 | Washington, D.C., United States | |
| 13th | 1929 | Amsterdam / The Hague, Netherlands | |
| 14th | 1933 | Madrid, Spain | |
| 15th | 1937 | Cairo, Egypt | |
| 16th | 1950 | London, England | |
| 17th | 1954 | Montreal / New York | |
| 18th | 1958 | Brussels, Belgium | |
| 19th | 1962 | New Delhi, India | |
| 20th | 1966 | Munich, Germany | |
| 21th | 1970 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| 22nd | 1974 | Paris, France | |
| 23rd | 1978 | Kyoto, Japan | |
| 24th | 1982 | San Francisco, United States | |
| 25th | 1986 | Rome, Italy | |
| 26th | 1990 | Singapore | |
| 27th | 1994 | Toronto, Canada | |
| 28th | 1998 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| 29th | 2002 | Sydney, Australia | |
| 30th | 2006 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| 31th | 2008 | Hong Kong, China | |
| 32nd | 2010 | Berlin, Germany | |
| 33rd | 2012 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| 34th | 2014 | Tokyo, Japan | Host: Japanese Ophthalmological Society |
| 35th | 2016 | Guadalajara, Mexico | Host: Mexican Society of Ophthalmology |
| 36th | 2018 | Barcelona, Spain | Host: Spanish Society of Ophthalmology |
| 37th | 2020 | Virtual | Host: Ophthalmology Society of South Africa (OSSA) |
| 38th | 2022 | Virtual | Host: Chinese Ophthalmological Society |