Fira Barcelona welcomes the World Ophthalmology Congress for the first time

Fira de Barcelona will for the first time be home to the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC), the oldest and most important medical event in the world in its field. From 16 to 19 June it will bring together more than 10,000 ophthalmologists and optometrists from more than 140 countries to promote the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions. 
The 36th edition of the World Ophthalmology Congress, which will take place in the Gran Via venue, will have a first class scientific programme that includes 1,200 research studies, 350 sessions, 70 workshops on innovation organised by more that 90 domestic ophthalmology companies, as well as specific programmes dedicated to a range of illnesses and specialities such as glaucoma, cataracts, corneas, orbital and oculoplastic surgery, refractive surgery, paediatric ophthalmology, strabismus, retina and uveitis, among others.
There will also be training courses to improve surgical skills and to discover the latest technologies applying to ophthalmology. In this sense, a highlight will be the 3D Live Surgery conference led by experts from the Clínica Barraquer in Barcelona who will demonstrate new and instrumental techniques to carry out cornea transplants and cataract, refractive, microinvasive and vitreoretinal interventions. It will also host the ICO World Ophthalmic Education Colloquium (WOEC) with symposiums and workshops for ophthalmologists interested in teaching.
The event will also have an exhibition area with participation from 142 companies and organisations related to ophthalmology to present their latest pharmaceutical products, as well as devices for image diagnosis, technologies and services for the treatment of eye conditions.
The celebration of the 36th World Ophthalmology Congress at Fira de Barcelona falls within the strategy of the institution to host large events, especially within the field of healthcare and technology.  According to the director of external business of Fira, Pere Camprubí, “this congress adds to the great international events that Fira attracts, in this case it is consistent with the prestige of Barcelona in the field of healthcare, and specifically ophthalmology, as it has professionals and centres to receive patients from all over the world”.
The World Ophthalmology Congress is organised by the International Council of Ophthalmology and relies on the support for this edition of the Spanish Ophthalmology Society (SEO), the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE), the Spanish Society of Refractive Implant Surgery (SECOIR), the Catalan Ophthalmology Society and the Barraquer Institute.
Barcelona, 14 June 2018