A Letter from the World Glaucoma Association Amsterdam, October 25, 2007
Dear Dr. Goldberg,
First of all we would like to thank all of you for your participation in the World Glaucoma Congress, which took place
from July 18-21 in Singapore. Two thousand participants joined the Congress. To our great satisfaction the
participants' evaluation results showed that the second WGC, overall, was rated
very high and thus much appreciated. The average score on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5
(excellent) was well over 4. Some examples of outcomes:
| Question |
high score
(4/5) |
average score
(3) |
low score
(1/2) |
| Overall activity content |
84% |
15% |
1% |
| Effectively in increasing your knowledge, skills & performance in providing patient care |
79% |
19% |
2% |
| Increase of your knowledge in areas where greater knowledge was desired |
79% |
18% |
3% |
| Rating of WGC concept with short didactic lectures in the morning and extensive practical courses in the afternoon |
83% |
14% |
3% |
Through this letter we would like to inform you about the following important matters:
- Name change
- WGA on-line global directory of Glaucoma Societies
- WGA Management tool
- Project Forum
- Promulgation
- Advocacy
- World Glaucoma Day
- 3rd World Glaucoma Congress 2009
Ad 1. Name change
As of July 22 the name of the Association of International Glaucoma Societies has been changed into
WORLD GLAUCOMA ASSOCIATION (WGA). Consequently the new WGA web site is: www.worldglaucoma.org
Ad 2. WGA on-line global directory of Glaucoma Societies
As you may have noticed the revised version of the Global Directory is now available on-line at www.worldglaucoma.org,
containing detailed information about all member Glaucoma Societies (contact information, membership information, etc.).
Please have a look to check whether all your Society details are correct and please inform us timely about changes and
additions now and in the future.
Ad 3. WGA management tool
We would like to thank you for your time to try out the preliminary version of the WGA management tool at the WGA booth
in Singapore. As we showed you and/or another representative of your society, this online database system contains the
addresses of all members of Glaucoma Societies. Within the next weeks we plan to send instructions and login details to you
and the secretary of your Society/Group/Section to use this on-line system to keep your own membership list updated at all
times. We heavily depend on your assistance in keeping the address database up to date as it is used to send the printed
version of International Glaucoma Review (the Journal for the WGA) to the members of your society as well as sending them
Glaucoma E-Mails. These emails provide access to the on-line searchable glaucoma database, IGR online and all other information
that the WGA considers of interest. NB addresses will never be given to third parties without your society's consent.
Ad 4. Project Forum
The WGA is offering you and all other member Glaucoma Societies a new service: Project Forum. Project Forum is an
Internet discussion forum. Project Forum can be used for all kinds of discussions, for instance within committees, on a
particular topic or in special groups. The advantage over e-mails is that you have an overview of the complete discussion.
Only participants invited to join the particular forum receive login details and are able to access the website. Please
do contact Mariska van der Veen at the Executive Office for more information.
Ad 5. Promulgation
Another issue addressed during the WGC in Singapore was the consensus reports and the promulgation of this important
information world wide. When you attended the Global Assembly Meeting and the Symposium on promulgation you, as
representative of your Glaucoma Society should have received a set of the four Consensus books and a USB stick containing
the Consensus statements of all four meetings, with the request to distribute the content at your national meetings
and through universities to as many glaucoma experts and general ophthalmologists in your country as possible. We
believe that promulgation of these consensus statements will improve the quality of glaucoma diagnosis, care and
research worldwide. If your society was not at the WGC, please contact Mariska van der Veen at the Executive Office
for obtaining the USB stick. Let us know in what way your society could help us in "spreading the consensus knowledge"
in your country and how we could assist you in this process. We look forward to hear about your plans before November 15.
Ad 6. Advocacy
Leaders from all Glaucoma Societies were invited to attend the symposium on Advocacy in Singapore. Many leaders joined
this important session. Roger Hitchings (UK), Paul Kaufman (USA), Daniel Grigera (ARG) and Hidenobu Tanihara (JP) wrote a
report based on the Symposium on this topic at the WGC in Singapore for IGR 9-2. The below lines are taken from this report.
The full report can be read in IGR print or online via
http://www.e-igr.com/MR/index.php?issue=92&MRid=197
<Glaucoma has an image problem and is increasingly likely to suffer for this in the future. It has become too comfortable,
and too self absorbed. The problem for our speciality goes further than the simple recognition that it has been slow to combat
problems with diagnosis and management. Money for diagnosis and management as well as for research is likely to be more difficult
to obtain in the future unless our speciality can present cogent reasons to continue funding at present levels. Glaucoma,
through the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and the Regional Societies, needs to develop and present a coherent strategy both
for research and management. This means projects designed to meet current criticisms- these include; no screening strategy
for the common types of glaucoma, no clear indication of when to start treatment, no clear plan on how to identify progression,
no ability to translate visual disability into Quality of Life (QoL) outcomes, no therapies directed directly at the
neurodegeneration responsible for glaucomatous visual loss, and no health economic analysis of treatments. Unless the
glaucoma fraternity can make contact with those around us all these proposals will be in vain. We have to specifically
target 4 groups: the public, the patient, the politician and the physician. The World Glaucoma Congress provided the focus
for our speciality to rationalise its approach for its constituents and to its public.>
The WGA will set up plans for a worldwide strategy program which will involve all Glaucoma Societies. More information on
this topic will follow soon.
Ad 7. World Glaucoma Day
March 6th 2008 will be the first ever World Glaucoma Day (WGD), a joint global initiative of the World Glaucoma Association
(WGA) and the World Glaucoma Patient association (WGPA). WGA and WGPA would like to enlist your support in making the World
Glaucoma day a success. Your Society can contribute to this goal in two ways:
First, by encouraging each and every one of its members to organize local activities in their home towns and institutions,
and by providing them with official backing (such as endorsement letters to local authorities, hospital administrations, etc.)
whenever appropriate.
Second, and equally important, by appointing a "local coordinator" who will list and keep track of all activities in your
territory, so that a global inventory of activities can be maintained and made globally available to ophthalmologists,
patients and the public at large, through the WGD website.
Within the next weeks you will receive a separate letter in which you find all details.
3rd World Glaucoma Congress 2009
Mark your calendar! The next WORLD GLAUCOMA CONGRESS and International Glaucoma Symposium will take place from July 8-11 2009,
in Boston, Massachussets, USA.
Summary of actions
| Ad 1. |
The AIGS has changed into World Glaucoma Association (WGA).
Revised web site address: www.worldglaucoma.org
|
| Ad 2. |
Check the revised, on-line version of the Global Directory of Glaucoma Societies via www.worldglaucoma.org and
inform us about changes/additions |
| Ad 3. |
Check receipt of our request to update your membership list via the WGA Management Tool.
This email will be sent to you around October 31. |
| Ad 4. |
Would you be interested in using Project Forum within your Society (Internet based discussion forum),
please contact Mariska van der Veen, vanderveen@worldglaucoma.org |
| Ad 5. |
Inform us about your plans in spreading the consensus knowledge in your country and how the WGA could
assist you in this process (preferably before November 15) |
| Ad 6. |
More detailed information about advocacy will follow in due course. |
| Ad 7. |
Detailed information on how your society could assist the WGD organisation will follow soon. |
| Ad 8. |
Mark your calendar: 3rd WORLD GLAUCOMA CONGRESS and International Glaucoma Symposium will take place
from July 8-11 2009, in Boston, Massachussets, USA. |
Please do contact the WGA Executive Office if you need assistance or have any questions.
Best regards,
on behalf of the WGA Board of Governors,
I. Goldberg, President, Australia
R. Susanna, President Elect, Brazil
R.N. Weinreb, Immediate Past President, USA
R.A. Hitchings, Past President, United Kingdom
E.L. Greve, Vice President, the Netherlands
H.C. Greve-Geijssen, Executive Vice President, the Netherlands
K. Singh, Executive Vice President Elect, USA
M. Araie, Japan
J. Ge, China
F. Grehn, Germany
D. Grigera, Argentina
Y. Kitazawa, Japan
T. Krupin, USA
D. Lam, Hong Kong
J. Liebmann, USA
R. Thomas, India
Mariska van der Veen
WGA Executive General Manager
WGA Executive Office
Corresponding address:
Jan van Goyenkade 11
1075 HP Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 20 679 3411
Fax +31 20 673 7306
E-mail: vanderveen@worldglaucoma.org
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