Our organization started as the Study Group on Artificial Intraocular Lenses in 1975, by Dr. Saburo Hayano and his colleagues. Along with the effort to support the 1978 World Ophthalmology Congress held in Kyoto, the group collaborated with the International Intraocular Implant Club as the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Club (JIOIC) (1976 - 1984) with the mission to gain understanding and popularize the intraocular lens (IOL). With the 1985 approval of IOLs in Japan, the group was expected to become an academic society, the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society (1985 - 1993) in order to respond to the increased sales of the IOL and the number of surgeries, and the first general meeting was held in 1986. The society held joint meetings with the Japanese Society of Cataract, and started the quarterly publication of IOL, both of which are the fundamental elements of our academic society. When clinical trials of refractive surgeries began, the society included the field of refractive surgery, similarly to the society in the United States, so that the name was changed to the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (1994 - 2010), and the journal was renamed to IOL & RS. From November 2010, our organization became a General Incorporated Association, the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. In order for our organization to demonstrate corporate responsibility and transparency, the General Assembly in 2013 approved the decision to transition from a General Incorporated Association to a Public Interest Corporation. The application was approved, and as of August 1, 2014, the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery became a Public Interest Corporation.

Past Annual Meetings

Following is the record of our past annual meetings, with the name, date, venue, and the congress president.

Name	Congress President
	Date	Venue
First Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Keiichiro Kato (Department of Ophthalmology, Fukushima Medical University)
	July 5 - 6, 1986	Fukushima Cultural Center
Second Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Fumihiko Hayashi (Hayashi Eye Hospital)
	June 19 - 21, 1987	Kyushu Electric Power Hall Hotel New Otani Hakata
Third Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Yoshinao Majima (Department of Ophthalmology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine)
	July 1 - 3, 1988	Nagoya Castle Hotel
Fourth Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Motokazu Itoi (Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine)
	June 23 - 24, 1989	Kyoto International Conference Hall
Fifth Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Kanjiro Masuda (Department of Ophthalmology, the University of Tokyo School of Medicine)
	July 6 - 8, 1990	Ryogoku Kokugikan
Sixth Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Fumio Kogure (Department of Ophthalmology Dokkyo Medical University)
	June 14 - 16, 1991	Utsunomiya City Cultural Center
Seventh Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Kenshiro Uenoyama (Department of Ophthalmology, Wakayama Medical College)
	June 5 - 7, 1992	Wakayama Civic Hall
Eighth Annual Meeting of the Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society	Koichiro Eguchi (Eguchi Eye Hospital)
	May 14 - 16, 1993	Hakodate Civic Hall
Ninth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Takaaki Fujiwara (Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University School of Medicine)
	June 17 - 19, 1994	Fuchu-no-Mori Art Theater Fuchu Lifelong Learning Center
Tenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Kazuyuki Sasaki (Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University School of Medicine)
	June 2 - 4, 1995	Kanazawa City Tourism Center
Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Kensaku Miyake (Shohzankai Medical Foundation, Miyake Eye Hospital）
	April 12 - 14, 1996	Nagoya Congress Center
Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Hajime Obazawa (Department of Ophthalmology, Tokai University School of Medicine)
	June 20 - 22, 1997	Pacifico Yokohama Conference Center
Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Yoshitaka Obara (Department of Ophthalmology Dokkyo Medical University)
	May 20 - 24, 1998	Sendai International Center Tohoku University Kawauchi Memorial Auditorium Miyagi Prefectural Sports Center
Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Saishin Mototsugu (Department of Ophthalmology, Nara Medical University)
	July 16 - 18, 1999	Kyoto International Conference Hall
Fifteenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Mitsuru Sawa (Department of Ophthalmology, Nihon University School of Medicine)
	June 9 - 11, 2000	Tokyo International Forum
Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Kenji Ohshima (Department of Ophthalmology, Fukuoka University School of Medicine)
	June 15 - 17, 2001	Sea Hawk Hotel & Resort (Fukuoka)
Seventeenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Makoto Inadomi (Department of Ophthalmology, Showa University School of Medicine)
	June 21 - 23, 2002	Tokyo Big Sight
Eighteenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Masahiko Usui (Department of Ophthalmology Tokyo Medical University)
	June 27 - 29, 2003	Kyoto International Conference Hall
Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Teruo Nishida (Department of Biomolecular Recognition and Ophthalmology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine)
	June 25 - 27, 2004	Fukuoka International Congress Center Fukuoka Sun Palace
Twentieth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Shigeru Kinoshita (Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine)
	June 17 - 19, 2005	Kyoto International Conference Hall
Twenty-First Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Kimiya Shimizu (Department of Ophthalmology, Kitasato University School of Medicine)
	June 16 - 18, 2006	Tokyo International Forum
Twenty-Second Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Yuichi Ohashi (Department of Ophthalmology, Ehime University School of Medicine)
	June 29 - July 1, 2007	Ehime Prefectural Hall
Twenty-Third Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Kazuo Tsubota (Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine)
	June 20 - 22, 2008	Tokyo International Forum
Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Tetsuro Oshika (Ophthalmology, University of Tsukuba Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences)
	June 26 - 28, 2009	Tokyo International Forum
Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Yoshikazu Shimomura (Department of Ophthalmology, Kinki University School of Medicine)
	June 25 - 27, 2010	Osaka International Convention Center (Grand Cube Osaka)
Twenty-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Ken Hayashi (Hayashi Eye Hospital)
	June 17 - 19, 2011	Fukuoka International Congress Center Fukuoka Sun Palace
Twenty-Seventh Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Hiroko Bissen-Miyajima (Tokyo Dental College Suidobashi Hospital)
	June 15 - 17, 2012	Tokyo International Forum
Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Hiroshi Tsuneoka (The Jikei University School of Medicine)
	June 27 - 29, 2013	Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel
Twenty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Shinichiro Kobayakawa (Nippon Medical School, Tama Nagayama Hospital)
	July 11 - 13, 2014	Fukuoka International Congress Center
Thirtieth Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Kazuno Negishi (Keio University School of Medicine)
	June 19 - 21, 2015	Tokyo International Forum
Thirty-First Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Katsuya Mitooka(Mitooka Eye Clinic)
	June 24 - 26, 2016	Kyoto International Conference Center
Thirty-Second Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery	Chikako Suto(Tokyo Women's Medical University Medical Center East)
	June 23 - 25, 2017	Fukuoka International Congress Center Fukuoka Sun Palace

History of our Organization　

Excerpt from Articles by the late Dr. Saburo Hayano

The Study Group on Artificial Intraocular Lenses

In the spring of 1975, Saburo Hayano called for the establishment of a study group for those ophthalmologists who were starting to offer artificial intraocular lenses (IOLs) to exchange information with one another on IOLs and the surgeries related to them. The first meeting was held on July 26 at the hospital ward conference room of the Ophthalmology Department, Gifu University School of Medicine, Tsukasamachi, Gifu prefecture. Those attending were: Fumihiko Hayashi, Norio Miyata, Mitsuhiko Takeuchi, Akio Yamanaka, Yoshinao Fukado, Tadahiko Murata, Fumio Kogure, Saburo Hayano, and Kyoichi Tanaka. The group was named the “Study Group on Artificial Intraoculars Lenses,” and it aimed to exchange information on IOLs and on the members’ researches, inspire each other to further studies, and popularize the IOL applications.

Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Club (JIOIC)

In 1976, the Study Group on Artificial Intraocular Lenses became responsible for “the 5th Meeting of the IIIC (International Intraocular Lens Implant Club)” planned as one of the satellite symposium, for the 1978 International Congress of Ophthalmology in Kyoto, and for this purpose the group changed its name to Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Club (JIOIC). Those who became members subsequently are: Makoto Nagata, Rieko Ozaki, Akira Momose, Kenji Suga, Hiroshi Kozaki, Yoshinao Majima, Hiroshi Goto, Shinichiro Sugita, Hirofumi Higa, Koki Muto, and Hyozi Hoshi.

　While the JIOIC held conferences two to three times a year to report the members’ experiences and exchang their views and ideas without reservations, it offered the seminars to gain acceptance of IOLs and popularize their use. The first seminar was held in Nagoya on July 25, 1976, the second in Tokyo on November 21, and the third in Fukuoka on February 20, 1977. These seminars were planned for 60 attendees, but all had an attendance of over 70. The seminars offered the courses on the overviews on IOLs, techniques on iris supported IOL implantation that was the major method of the time by video viewing, and explanations on perioperative procedures and managements. (The lecturers were Mitsuhiko Takeuchi, Fumihiko Hayashi, Akio Yamanaka, Akira Momose, Makoto Nagata, Norio Miyata, and Saburo Hayano.) The lecturers fully appealed the utility of IOL that was at the evolving stage, and emphasized the need to strictly comply with the indications and contraindications (described below) with tight control of the management.

＜Indications＞

1.Patient aged 60 years or older with cataract in one eye, and the fellow eye has visual acuity of 0.6 or better.

2.The patient is willing to undergo operation upon receiving explanations on the surgeries.

3.The surgeons should be trained in cataract surgeries, and preferably trained in IOL implantation procedures.

4.The patient is able to perform post-operative management.

＜Contraindications＞

Myopia of -5D or more

Chronic uveitis

Patients with glaucoma (with intraocular pressure not controlled by medication), shallow anterior chamber, and post-operative patient of filtration surgery

Major iris defect

Corneal endothelial cell damage

Diabetes

One eye is already aphakic.

In the fall of 1976, The Second US Intraocular Symposium & Fourth Meeting of the IIIC was held at Los Angeles, in which Saburo Hayano presented his IOL prototype, and numbers of JIOIC members attended this meeting. At the business meeting of IIIC, the conference place for the fifth meeting of IIIC was formally decided to be Nagoya, Japan. Preparation for this international ophthalmology meeting made Japanese ophthalmologist extremely busy from 1977 to 1978. The meeting held on 22nd and 23rd of May 1978 as the Fifth Meeting of the IIIC was a successful event which gathered 150 attendees from nine countries and Dr. D. P. Choyce presented the Ridley Medal Lecture along with 35 presentations. The meeting also reflected that the cataract removal for IOL implantation was transitioning from intracapsular cataract extraction to extracapsular cataract extraction, and the lens used were changing from anterior chamber lens and iris supported lens to posterior chamber lens.

From this meeting on, the interest in IOL in Japan began to grow, and many reports of procedures done by surgeons other than our member physicians are presented at various local study groups and association meetings. Voices heard at conferences are the ones requesting “the information on how to obtain IOL and small (hand-held) instruments, lending of surgery videotapes, development of inexpensive IOLs in Japan, and health insurance coverage of procedures” and, on the other hand, that of indicating “still there is no proof on safety, danger of inserting foreign objects, not to be performed without thorough considerations, and may induce malpractice.” In response to such situations, JIOIC called for presentations from researchers at large, including non- members of JIOIC. The first meeting was held at Gifu University in 1979, and Yoshihisa Fukamichi of Showa University became organizer for subsequent meetings that continued as a group discussion for the Mid-Japan Ophthalmology Society (Nihon Chubu Ganka Gakkai), as various universities took terms in organizing. The second meeting was at Wakayama University in 1980, the third at Yamaguchi University in 1981, the fourth at Kyoto Prefectural University in 1982, the fifth at Gifu University in 1983, and the sixth at Kyoto University in 1984. Researchers continued to join the Club, and Kenji Oshima, Kensaku Miyake, Tsutomu Hara, Okihiro Nishi, and Shinichiro Imaizumi joined. The clinical trial of IOLs, which was a pending issue, started with the trial center at Gifu University, so the secretariat of the Club was moved from Showa University to Gifu University in 1979. The IOL Conference held at Showa University on 1980 presented reports on various subjects, and the age of the anterior chamber lens was starting.

Japan Intraocular Lens Implant Society

While the IOL was still unapproved as a medical device, representatives from a few major manufacturers from the United States visited Japan with leading IOL surgeons to hold seminars, which promoted their products to develop the market in Japan, and at the same time demanded the import of their products to Japan to the Ministry of Health and Welfare that led to the start of clinical trials. The JIOIC was advocating the caution “to be careful in order not to damage the utility of IOL procedure” as often as possible. The insurance coverage was requested on October 1979 from the Insurance Task Force of Japanese Society of Ophthalmology as the newly developed technology to Surgical Insurance Subcommittee; however, the ministry was in the process of updating the whole surgical coverage, and with the balancing with other medical specialties, the insurance coverage of IOL procedure was put on hold as a future topic. The applications for medical device approvals based on the clinical trials on IOLs were submitted by several companies from Japan and overseas, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare evaluated the applications based on the “IOL approval standards.” After the discussion held at the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council, the Ministry granted the approvals to one Japanese manufacturer and six importers of overseas products on May 31, 1986. With these approvals, the JIOIC was dissolved for constructive reasons that the response as an academic society is needed to the expected increases of IOL sales and the number of IOL procedures. So that the organizers’ meeting for The Japanese Intraocular Lens Implant Society was held on September 15, 1980. For inaugurating the Society, Saburo Hayano, Fumihiko Hayashi, Kensaku Miyake, Fumio Kogure, Yoshihisa Fukamichi, Norio Miyata, Yoshinao Majima, Hyozi Hoshi, Hiroshi Kozaki, Makoto Nagata, Akio Yamanaka, Koki Muto, Hirofumi Higa, Kenji Suga, Shinichiro Sugita, Kiyoshi Otsuki, Tsutomu Hara, Mitsuhiko Takeuchi, Makoto Inatomi, and Koichiro Eguchi were named as organizers. On the same day, the draft of the Society’s bylaws was discussed, executive directors, auditors, and president were selected, secretariat was decided to be placed in Hayashi Eye Hospital in the city of Fukuoka, and Society rules, business plan, and budget was discussed. Also, the publication of the newsletter and its distribution to the members were planned.

Until the Society published the inaugurating issue of the society journal, the Newsletter played the role as a forerunner publication (from March 1986 to April 1987) informing the members on matters such as business and budget plans for 1986, announced the first congress to be held on July 6, 1986 by the President Keiichiro Kato of Fukushima Prefectural Medical University and Director Hyozin Hoshi as the responsible executives, and also announced that the conference will be held in conjunction with the Twenty-Fifth Japan Society of Cataract Research. This information were also published in related publications along with the member recruitments. Moreover, Director Yoshinao Majima in charge of education announced the Society organized surgery seminars in Fukuoka (October 5 - 6, 1985), in Nagoya (November 7 - 8, 1985), in Sapporo (December 7 - 8, 1985), in Osaka (February 22-23, 1986), and in Sendai (March 8 - 9, 1986). Academic seminars (accredited as a continuing medical education for specialists) were held in Fukuoka in March 21, Nagoya in March 22, and in Tokyo in March 23, 1986, featuring the presentation “The updated method of planned extracapsular extraction and posterior lens implantation in United States, a symposium on IOL procedures complications and its management” by J. M. Emory.

The Society started with few members other than organizers who were directors, but with the mission to “support the researches by the members, and popularize and further develop the correct knowledge of IOLs and the procedures,” and with the Society’s practical activities, the membership grew to over 400. The number of reports are submitted for the presentations at the First Japanese Intraocular Lens Implant Society Congress.

The executive staff members considered the joint meeting with the Japan Society of Cataract Research that the subjects for researches overlap with The Japanese Intraocular Lens Implant Society in order to reduce the numbers of meeting schedules for various societies, since several directors held positions in both organizations. The idea was presented to Director Majima of the Japan Society of Cataract Research and approval was obtained. The joint meeting was understood as a place for presenting researches on the basic studies and clinical practice of cataract for the members of both societies, and in principle, the joint meeting style of exchanging views and opinions and networking was maintained. Also, in order for IOL procedures to be conducted smoothly, it is essential for the nurses and the laboratory technicians to learn the new technology at the same time with physicians. The Society created the program based on the Nursing Program offered in Unites States, and with the tremendous efforts by those involved, educational sessions (for nurses, surgical assistants, and orthoptists) were offered. The sessions were extremely well received and the program continues to be held up to now as a joint program. The contents of the program was published the following year as IOL Seminar for Nurses and Paramedical (I), and it became the IOL textbook for novice doctors and those who handle medical device other than nurses.

As the meetings were held every year, the numbers of general presentations and video presentation increased, and the congress presidents organized the well-developed program by choosing the topics to suit and reflect the progress of IOL and surgeries with invited speakers, special symposia, educational symposia, and workshops. Although the foundation as an academic society was not yet fully established in 1987, the Society ventured to publish its journal as a seasonal publication and the journal name was changed to IOL on the seventh volume.

Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

With the expanding application of IOL implantation surgeries, the lenses with wide range of refractions are now in use, and the IOL procedures became considered as refractive surgeries that aim for the corrected visual acuity after operations. Japanese ophthalmologists had some reservations toward the refractive surgeries, such as radial keratotomy which make incisions on the clear cornea; however, the American Intra-Ocular Implant Society (AIOIS) embraced all the aspects of refractive procedures, not limiting to the operations, but including the refractive surgery by using the excimer laser, and with the reorganization, the name was changed to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS.)

When the clinical trial of corneal disease including refractive surgery using excimer laser began in Japan, there was discussion on which professional society would be in charge, but the majority agreed that it is rational for our Society to be responsible. At the executive staff meeting held on June 19, 1993, the directors approved to include refractive procedures as the subject of the Japanese Intraocular Lens Implant Society, and the name was changed to the “Japanese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (JSCRS)” on January 1, 1994. The organization invited the professionals of cornea and refractive researches as the executives, and the journal name was changed to IOL & RS.