German Ophthalmological Society (DOG)

The Section DOG-International Ophthalmology (originated from the DOG working group of the same name, which was founded in Mannheim in 1994) aims to make a greater contribution to the prevention of blindness worldwide. The background is the realisation that 70-80% of blindness in Third World countries is curable or preventable. Cataract alone is responsible for 20 million cases of blindness worldwide and is the most common cause of blindness, accounting for 50% of all blindness. Blindness from cataract and glaucoma can be surgically prevented, while other common causes of blindness such as trachoma, onchocerciasis and xerophthalmia require interdisciplinary preventive approaches. Due to long-distance tourism and migration, tropical eye diseases are increasingly observed in Germany. Appropriate knowledge about these diseases is of increasing importance for the German ophthalmologist. It is the concern of the Section DOG-International Ophthalmology to inform and educate German ophthalmologists.