Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde § Principles and Guidelines of a Curriculum for Education of the Ophthalmic Specialist

an International Ophthalmology Strategic Plan to preserve and restore vision ± Vision for the Future. This strategic plan involved a multi pronged approach to reduce visual impairment and blindness worldwide, and the following actions have been completed or are underway to make this plan a reality: " IFOS/ICO fellowships have been established under the leadership of Professor Balder Gloor to provide overseas educational opportunities for junior ophthalmic faculty in ophthalmology departments in developing countries. " The International Assessment for Ophthalmologists in both clinical and basic sciences has been successfully implemented by Professor Peter Watson. " Eye care guidelines to develop evidence-based eye care delivery , are being developed under the leadership of Professor Ri-chard Abbott. " Advocacy for preservation and restoration of vision to increase public awareness of blindness prevention is being headed by Professor Hugh Taylor. " Research in ophthalmology and vision, for development of new and improved therapies for blinding diseases, is being led by Professor Alfred Sommer. The ICO Strategic Planning Group also decided that ophthalmic education is the cornerstone to improve eye care globally. As part of this Strategic Plan, four International Task Forces were established to develop curricula for training of the ophthalmic specialist , para-ophthalmic personnel, medical students, and for continuing medical education. After years of hard work by multiple international panels, the four curricula are being presented for publication in this issue of Klinischen Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde as supplements. The curricula are presented, not as mandatory standards of training or practice, but as an educational tool and consensus example to stimulate multi-levels of training including basic, standard, and advanced programs. The International Council of Ophthal-mology realizes the wide variability of educational standards, patterns and prevalence of diseases, and social structures for provision of eye care in geographic regions, and therefore encourages continuous modification of these curricula according to the needs of different global communities. Traditionally, ophthalmology residency training runs on an ªAp-prenticeship Systemº where the teaching contents and format for trainees frequently depend on the whims of the trainers. In recent decades, there is a general movement to shift the apprenticeship system of education to a curriculum-based system of education in which goals, expectation, knowledge base, compe-tencies and technical training are carefully defined. The four international curricula are prepared with this general direction in mind. The panels, which drafted these curricula, understand the importance of accessibility of the educational materials and availability of …