SFO creates international council

Joseph Colin, MD, said SFO is on a "mission" to educate the public about ocular diseases and treatments.

PARIS – Expanding on its ability to draw attendees from outside France, the French Society of Ophthalmology has created an international council comprising 45 different countries, according to society president Joseph Colin, MD.

In an interview with Ocular Surgery News, Dr. Colin said the society invited representatives of 45 different countries to a joint session during its annual meeting “as an effort to reach out to the international community.” An enthusiastic response from attendees led SFO to establish an international council with representatives from each country who will take an active role in future meetings.

Dr. Colin said this year’s conference drew 7,000 participants, with as many as 2,000 from outside of France and many from French-speaking territories in Africa.

In addition to creating the new international council, this year’s program featured numerous joint symposia with international societies, such as the Franco-Syrian, Franco-Chilean and SFO-European Society of Ophthalmology symposia, he said.

Dr. Colin added that this year also saw the SFO increase cooperation with industry with industry-sponsored lunchtime symposia.

“In addition to the mission of educating ophthalmologists, we are also on a mission of increasing public awareness about ophthalmology,” Dr. Colin said. To accomplish this, the SFO hosted two educational sessions for the general public to inform them about the nature of ocular diseases as well as medical and surgical treatments currently available.

“Informed patients are more easily treated than the ones who don’t know [about the disease],” Dr. Colin said.