Throughout the early 2000s, the World Federation of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons served as a valuable resource for networking and collaboration within the ophthalmology community. A global educational consortium of national associations dedicated to cataract and refractive surgery, the federation consisted of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the Latin American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, and Asia/Pacific Intraocular Implant Association.
Through a series of meetings held around the world, the World Federation of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons facilitated new professional partnerships and global initiatives designed to advance the field of ophthalmology from a scientific standpoint and expand the quality and reach of ophthalmological care around the world.
In July 2000, the World Federation of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the largest meeting of ophthalmologists ever to be held in the country. Presented at the Sheraton Hotel in partnership with the Argentine Society of Ophthalmology, the event welcomed over 2,400 ophthalmology researchers and practitioners for four days of scientific presentations and product exhibitions.
Ahead of the event, Dr. William De La Peña, an ophthalmologist who founded and formerly served as chairman of the federation, and his colleagues published a series of articles addressing the state of ophthalmology in various countries around the world. With a geographical focus encompassing Australia and Japan, the articles drew on the expertise of regional ophthalmologists to provide a preview of an expansive and globally diverse meeting of some of the greatest minds in the field.
