Welcome Message

Last year we held our first international retina conference, FujiRetina, and I am pleased to report and thank that it was a great success with 1,500 registrants.

East Asia, including Japan, is geographically distant from the United States and Europe, and not an easy place for anyone to visit. On the contrary, it is the same for ophthalmologists in East Asia, and attending conferences in Europe and the U.S. is becoming a trip that is not worth the time or expense. That is why we started FujiRetina to provide a forum in Tokyo to invite world-renowned ophthalmologists to exchange views and opinions. This will be beneficial to ophthalmologists not only in Japan but also in East Asia. In addition, I believe that making Asian research known to globally influential ophthalmologists will contribute immensely to the development of ophthalmology in the world.

After the pandemic, many conferences are now being held on the Web. This has clearly brought about a change and convenience in the format of the conferences. At the same time, however, the importance of in-person meetings is now understood. Above all, the Web does not allow ophthalmologists to freely exchange ideas and forge friendships across national borders.

March is the beautiful season of cherry blossoms in Tokyo. I hope to see many of you at the second FujiRetina and pray that this objective will grow further.