The Interdisciplinary Congress, which this year is going to reach the milestone of its twenty-fifth edition, sums up the mission and activities of the Zaccagnini Institute:
• to be "producers" of excellence in education and training, to be present in the world of vision and integrated with the scientific, economic and social context and to be active players in the life of the industry;
• to deliver professionals to the job market with a high level of scientific knowledge and practical and professional skills, ready for employment and professional practice.
The Congress, the first edition of which was held in 1996, still today constitutes the only meeting opportunity in Italy for Optics, Optometry, Ophthalmology, Neuroscience and the body of scientific and professional disciplines associated with eye health and visual function. It has increasingly taken on a fundamental role in the Italian and international world of vision and addressed many key issues involving the individual, the society and the work environment in terms of analysis, prevention and treatment.
Another element that makes it unique in the optical and ophthalmic industry is the fact that it is promoted, organized and funded by an independent private institute.
The Interdisciplinary Congress was inspired by the insight of Giorgio Righetti in the last decade of the past century, when he realized that the many new developments involving the world of eye care and vision in many ways - from the consumption of optical products to scientific research and clinical practice - demanded a quantum leap in study programs and education, particularly for those whose mission was to accompany opticians to the practice of their profession. This was the genesis of the Congress, the first edition of which was held in Bologna in 1996.
In the preceding years, contact lens practice and optometry had officially been included in the MIUR programs (Ministerial Decree on Education and Health of 23-24 April 1992), contact lenses were steadily taking over more and more space from spectacle lenses and splitting the field between the old and the new, while laser surgery was definitively leaving the experimental phase, creating more scope for vision correction and compensation activities. To round off the scenario of change, the system of specialty retail networks, faced with the threat brought to their monopoly by the first modern retail chains, was also embarking on a renewal process.
This is how, to keep up with innovation and change, a virtuous circle was established between the Congress and the educational activities of the optics and optometry courses as well as of the Master's courses, which has contributed to maintaining the highest level of preparation and continuing education of its leading lecturers and to making the IBZ a protagonist in the evolution of teaching and learning systems in line with European standards, especially in terms of student involvement in professional best practices.
Ever since its first edition, when the Congress was held in the Lecture Hall of the School of Engineering at the University of Bologna, the round table on Myopia was attended by ophthalmologists, psychologists, neurophysiologists and, of course, opticians and optometrists. The interdisciplinary nature of the event, which has characterized the entire sequence of subsequent editions, as well as the participation of international speakers (Professor Robert Sanet of San Diego was present at the event, among many other expects), has become part of the event's DNA.
The program includes plenary sessions, workshops, seminars and round tables to offer more opportunities for updates and learning. The involvement and the presence of companies in the exhibition area allow participants to learn about new products, professional instruments, diagnostic methods and visual solutions.
The approach adopted in the selection of conference topics is aimed at facilitating discussion and providing comprehensive information on the demands coming from society on the topics of eye care and health, including the complex interplay with phenomena such as the work or study environment, nutrition, behavior, age, and collective and individual economic sustainability.
