About Us
The World College of Refractive Surgery and Visual Sciences (WCRS) was founded to represent Refractive Surgery as a standalone ophthalmic specialty.
The WCRS functions both as a Specialty Board and an Umbrella Organization supporting both education, training, and credentialing in Refractive Surgery as well as helping add value to ophthalmic organizations, courses, programs, and selected residency programs for the promotion, and expansion of refractive surgery on a global level.
The benefit for refractive surgeons is to enhance their career and qualifications by enriching their knowledge and skills while providing a required standard of credentials that will be recognized by patients, peers, and the general public.
The World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences (WCRS) is structured as a Public Benefit Corporation working with our independent, affiliated, charitable for social impact. Our mission will be directed towards addressing the leading global causes of preventable blindness for disadvantaged populations worldwide. According to the World Health Organization over 90% of global preventable blindness is from unaddressed refractive error and cataract.
The basic ideology of the WCRS is that Refractive Surgery should be held as a basic human right and should be a primary tier of vision correction instead of just glasses and contact lenses.
The Board of Refractive Surgery
The World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences (WCRS) recognizes Refractive Surgery as a standalone worldwide specialty in medicine.
As a Specialty Board, the WCRS will provide a path for practicing ophthalmic surgeons and residents to advance their skills in Refractive Surgery through a defined process of education, training initiatives, and a credentialing process.
As the only global organization to offer credentialing in Refractive Surgery, the WCRS will be the most trusted resource for establishing a standard of qualifications and quality of care in our specialty for recognition by our peers in the medical profession and for trust in the eyes of our patients.
The WCRS Board will provide a recognized standard for qualifications in Refractive Surgery through an authoritative credentialing process of:
- Oversight of a carefully vetted program for verified mastering of an internationally-recognized set-standard curriculum in Refractive Surgery.
- Establishing accreditation standards for teaching programs, fellowships, organizations, and facilities worldwide.
- Providing international certification in refractive surgery through verification of set requirements for surgical and medical experience in the field of Refractive Surgery and successfully passing a standardized Board Examination for Refractive Surgery.
Philosophy of Refractive Surgery
As physicians and refractive surgeons, we believe in the philosophy that the restoration of the physiological functions of the human being is the goal and the raison d’etre of medicine and surgery. Per this principle, the purpose of Refractive Surgery is the restoration of visual function to ametropes, without the aid of the traditional prosthetic devices of glasses or contacts.
Refractive surgeons believe that glasses or contacts, no matter how perfect or well tolerated, are only worn out of habit or resignation of nothing better. Wearing glasses and contacts continues to represent a handicap and even a risk to ocular health in the performance of the functions of normal life.
The philosophy of Refractive Surgery is that the surgical correction of vision should be considered and offered as a primary tier of vision correction if desired by the patient and found appropriate for the patient’s case.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
As the only standalone Specialty Board for Refractive Surgery, the WCRS is not in competition with any existing organization. The WCRS believes that the practice of Refractive Surgery is best approached as a collaborative interdisciplinary field of medicine.
The WCRS will strive to work closely with other professional societies, organizations, residency programs, ophthalmologists, collaborative optometrists, ophthalmic technicians, nurses, and corporate manufacturers and healthcare companies to achieve this common goal. We will offer formal association with these groups because we believe that multi-disciplinary collaboration is necessary for operating in the healthcare space.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors consists of up to 12 Members and provides oversight of the World College of Refractive Surgery
& Visual Sciences, monitors financial reports, ensures that the Public Benefit Corporation reports are submitted in a complete
and timely manner in compliance with applicable regulations and statutes, and selects the Chief Operating Officer.
Vision Correction For All Ages
The World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences establishes vision correction as a separate medical specialty. Refractive errors affect nearly all humanity and impact people at all stages of life. The technologies are mature, the procedures the most studied in the entire history of medicine, and the safety and satisfaction profiles are excellent.
