Korean Ophthalmological Society

The Korean Ophthalmological Society (KOS) was founded on November 1, 1947, and has since grown to become one of Korea’s leading medical societies consisting of 4,869 members. The first academic meeting of the KOS was held in Seoul in 1949. In 1958, the society published its first journal, the Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society, in Korean. In 1987, the society also began publishing the Korean Journal of Ophthalmology (Korean J Ophthalmol), which is currently the official English journal of the KOS. The entire text of the Korean Journal of Ophthalmology is accessible through Pubmed and will soon be registered in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).

The Korean Ophthalmological Society (KOS) convenes two national academic congress biannually, in the spring and fall. The fall congress holds particular significance, having evolved into an international event with participation from numerous countries, facilitated by MOUs for academic exchanges among. various Asia-Pacific nations. Moreover, the KOS plays a pivotal role in supporting a range of domestic ocular health initiatives. These include providing assistance to the Paralympic Games, co-promoting blindness prevention projects with the Korean Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness, education and evaluation for the ophthalmology residency program and actively engaging in national health surveys. The KOS had designated Nov 11 as its day of Eye Day until 2016, it has been integrated with World Sight Day (WSD) since 2017 and celebrated as the second Thursday of October. Throughout this week, the society offers free eye examinations, educational programs, and a variety of special activities to the public.