Greetings to all our esteemed AOC members! It’s with great pleasure that we introduce the very first newsletter from the African Ophthalmology Council. There’s a palpable sense of optimism surrounding the future of eye care in Africa, and one of the most encouraging signs is the significant increase in young doctors choosing our field. The enthusiasm was  evident in one of our member institutions. The Rwanda International Institute of Ophthalmology saw a remarkable jump in applicants for residency training, from four  Rwandans in 2018 to 72 applicants  from six countries in 2024, a trend echoed across many nations and programs.

Watch this space for a  call for applications for the AOC Bruce Spivey Skill Development Scholarships due to kick off in July 2025.  
Eye care practitioners  on our continent are also committed to thoughtfully integrating technology to enhance the quality of eye care throughout the continent. Within the AOC web pages, we hope you’ll find value in the numerous member benefits available to you including free access to numerous resources.

To ensure the continued growth and impact of the AOC, we encourage you to renew your membership for 2025. As a reminder, those who paid their membership fees in conjunction with the AOC2024 congress fees are entitled to a 50% discount on this year’s dues. We look forward to continuing this important journey together.

The AOC Membership platform opens on 1 May 2025!

You will receive a renewal / sign-up mail on 1 May to activate your account and benefit from the new platform.
(Attendees of the AOC2024 congress in Kigali will receive discount coupons on 1 May because you paid membership fees when registering for the congress last year.)

As a member of the AOC you will have access to the following:

The AAO ONE network includes the following for FREE:

• More than 700USD in value.
• 1-American Journal of Ophthalmology access.
• 2-Ophthalmology Retina access.
• 3-Ophthalmology Science access.
• 4-Ophthalmology Journal access.
• 5-Survey of Ophthalmology.
• 6-Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology.
• 7-Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.
• 8-Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.
• 9-Journal of Academic Ophthalmology.
• 10-Eye Net Archives.
• 11- Ophthalmology Clinics of North America.
• 12- Asia Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology.
• 13-Taiwan Journal of Ophthalmology.
• AND
• AAO FOCAL POINTS educational booklets.
• AND
• Free access to the EYE TUBE surgical educational videos from beginner to advanced.
• AAO and Ophthalmology Podcasts.

More AOC Resources

Free AOC 2025 Virtual Congress

• Free access to the virtual congress every two years (2025, 2027, etc.) .
• This event serves to offer CPD points, networking connections, AGM attendance & exposure to the latest developments in eye care services in Africa.

Big discount for AOC 2026 Congress Cape Town

• Discount to the in-person congress every two year in a different African country (2026, 2028, etc.) .
• This event serves to offer CPD points, networking connections, AGM attendance & exposure to the latest developments in eye care services in Africa.

AOC AGM Attendance

• Access to attend the AGM of the AOC.
• Voting rights at the meeting based on your membership category.

View membership categories online.

All paid-up members of the AOC will be able to attend this event free of charge.

Members will find their Virtual Access link under My Membership Content page of the AOC membership website.

If you wish to attend as a non-member you can register here at a fee higher than an annual membership fee. (Non-member virtual congress access – 200USD tbc)

Membership renewal links will be distributed to members on 1 May 2025.

There will be a big discount for paid-up AOC members to join us in Cape Town 2026.

We are glad to announce that the second AOC in-person congress will be taking place in Cape Town next year.