Dr. Tammy Miller Michau, DVM, DACVO
IEOC President

Dear fellow IEOC Members,
 
This year will mark a decade since the idea for the IEOC originally flourished in discussions held between Dr. Brian Gilger, Dr. Dennis Brooks and Dr. Andy Matthews.  The original goals were to foster discussion and collaboration on equine ocular disorders among a small group of people enthusiastic about equine ophthalmology. The IEOC was meant to include international individuals interested in equine ophthalmology irrespective of their training or certification status.  With 145 current active members from all over the globe, the original goals of the IEOC have been brought to satisfying fruition and the future is looking bright.
 
Since its inception with the first meeting in 2009, the consortium has continued to grow and expand the opportunities it offers through its membership. The yearly meeting continues to be an interactive, informative and fun environment. Last year's meeting in Stresa, Italy was a great success and continued our history of partnering with the Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation to promote research into equine eye diseases. This partnership will continue in the future at our next European location in Malahide, Ireland (near Dublin) in 2016.  Ireland is well known for its horse culture, from thoroughbred racing and fox-hunting to Connemara pony trekking.  (Pony trekking seems like a viable alternative to trying to figure out if your rental car takes diesel or unleaded or driving on the wrong side of the road!)

This June sees the Conference return to the United States in Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is a popular tourist destination with old time southern charm. I say old time with tongue in cheek as it was founded in 1733 and compared to some of our European locations, is comparatively young. The Planning Committee and I would urge all of you attend.  The program has received a record number of submissions! Thank you all who submitted abstracts and case reports. Single case reports contribute to our collective equine knowledge as much as retrospectives and prospectives. No information is too trivial!
 
Exciting improvements to the website and forum are currently being Beta–tested. The goal of streamlining the ability to access and interact on the forum is within reach. In the near future, you should be able to simply reply to an email to post a reply to the forum via your email account. Participation would be much like a list-serve except that you would be signed-in to receive posts only about content of your choice.
 
A major step forward in the care of equine athletes with ophthalmic disease worldwide occurred in October 2014.  Following lobbying of the FEI by the IEOC, cyclosporine was removed from the FEI controlled substances list and can be used in competition following submission of 'Veterinary Form 2.'  That means that athletes participating at the FEI level will no longer be denied the benefits of a cyclosporine implant in the therapy of their ocular disease. Major thanks go out to past-presidents Dr. Brian Gilger and Dr. Andy Matthews for drafting the correspondence on behalf of the IEOC.

I look forward to seeing you all in Savannah in June.