Greeting from the President

President of the 75th Annual Congress of
Japan Clinical Ophthalmology

Taiji Sakamoto, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor and Chair
Department of Ophthalmology, Kagoshima University

  We are pleased to announce that the 75th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Clinical Ophthalmology is held in Fukuoka, Japan from October 28 (Thursday) to 31 (Sunday), 2021.
  The theme of this conference is "Ophthalmology in our society".
  As we all know, recently ophthalmology has made great progress in diagnosis, treatment and research. It would not be an exaggeration to say that ophthalmology is one of the representative medical fields that have benefited from the great advances in science. However, is it really beneficial to society? Medicine is not only for the relief of sick patients. Medical care is not just to help sick patients, nor is it to satisfy the profit and honor lust of individuals and corporations. The idea of the Pope's encyclical “Railum Novarum” of the late 19th century is still alive today. To put it simply, we should practice medicine for the benefit of our society, and we can continue to practice medicine only if we are recognized by our society.
  However, in the real world, are we providing medical care for the patient? Isn't it the case that economic rationality comes before medical rationality? In fact, this is not a new issue, but one that has been discussed for a long time and one that medical professionals need to think about constantly. When we are involved in medical treatment and research in the limited world of ophthalmology, we tend to think that our contribution to society is to improve the results of medical treatment and research. In a sense, this is true, but in a sense, it is wrong. No matter how effective the treatment becomes, it will be a disaster for society if only the patient or a small percentage of patients are able to receive it.
  The question of whether ophthalmology, which is the core of our activities, is truly beneficial to society is a theme that ophthalmology-related medical and industrial professionals must always consider. Recently, in ophthalmology, drugs, instruments, and treatment styles are changing so much that this issue itself seems to be forgotten unfortunately. This is why I decided to make it the theme of this conference, thinking it should be discussed at this congress. I hope that participating in the present congress of Clinical Ophthalmology will give you an opportunity to think about whether your medical treatment, research, and activities are really useful for our society.
  As COVID19 has changed our society dramatically, the congress of Clinical Ophthalmology needs to change drastically. Most importantly, we have already entered the Post-Coronavirus era, and in this sense, we are seeking a new style of congress.　Led by Professor Inatani, the chair of the program committee of Japanese Ophthalmological Society, we plan to drastically change the content and structure of the congress. While keeping a close eye on the situation of the new coronavirus infection, we are diligently preparing for the congress to be held safely.　Autumn in Fukuoka is beautiful and you can enjoy meals from three-star Japanese and Western restaurants. We are sincerely looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible.