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From the WGA Executive Office

Dear IGR readers,

All of us at the Executive Office of the World Glaucoma Association hope that you and your loved ones are doing well and staying healthy during this COVID-19 pandemic. The introduction of new vaccines brings much needed hope during this period of global uncertainty. With the challenges presented by the pandemic, there have also been opportunities to reach out to more of our members through educational webinars, videos, and online resources. We are very proud to inform you about our exciting new WGA Global Webinars and update you about the World Glaucoma Congress 2021.

The inaugural WGA Global Webinar on October 10, 2020, drew over 9,000 views; and the recent one on December 19, 2020, had over 13,000 views through YouTube, the internet, and Facebook. Depending on where you are in the world, the next Global Webinar will take place on February 12-13, 2021, and will cover the topic of Angle-Closure Glaucoma. Please join Drs. Robert Weinreb and Fabian Lerner who will lead a panel of worldwide experts to update you on the latest diagnostic techniques and treatments for this aggressive form of glaucoma. There will also be extensive discussion of the many controversies related to the management of ACG. Keep an eye out for the WGA announcements about how to register for the webinar.

We wish to announce that the World Glaucoma Congress in 2021 will be all-virtual and will be hosted together with the Japanese Glaucoma Society. Since we are no longer limited by travel and in-person restrictions due to the epidemic, we have decided to move the meeting back to our traditional period. The World Glaucoma Congress 2021 will take place June 30-July 3, 2021. Although we will not be meeting in person in Japan, our first virtual WGC will have a Japanese theme, lectures and sessions held in conjunction with the JGS, and ‘social’ activities infused with a Japanese flavor. Registration opens February 2021. See you virtually at the WGC!

Our many committees continue to work hard for the benefit of our members and our patients. In fact, we have expanded our committee activities during this difficult period of COVID to provide greater access to our educational materials. An example is the recent translations of our educational materials for patients into Malay. This is now available at www.glaucomapatients.org.

Please stay safe and healthy into 2021. Our prayers to you and our entire world for a return to normalcy and the privilege of being able to meet once again in person, so that we may catch up with one another and continue to collaborate.

Get to know us

Since September 2020 Carlien Turkstra has been involved with the WGA as a Community Coordinator, working closely together with Irene Koomans, the WGA Executive General Manager, and Marije de Graaf, Operations Manager.

The past months have been filled with learning moments about WGA, our operations, our core purpose & values, and most importantly, our community. As Community Coordinator of WGA, Carlien is the liaison between the societies and WGA: she is the main point of contact for our society representatives. Carlien is looking forward to optimizing our glaucoma community and assisting our society members in getting the most out of their membership.