I am pleased to invite you to the research and practice conference with international participation "Current issues of Pediatric Ophthalmology", which will be held from September 30 to October 1, 2022 in Nur-Sultan.

K.K. Tokayev, the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced 2022 as the Year of Child in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, the realities of modern life often lead to adverse changes in the health of our young citizens. This includes the growth of myopia, congenital diseases of the organ of vision, retinopathy, retinoblastoma of premature infants, etc. Kazakh ophthalmologists have something to share with colleagues from other countries, and most importantly - there is a great desire to learn, to learn new things. In addition, it is necessary to solve a number of issues of prevention, early detection, treatment and clinical examination of children with ocular pathology.

The difficult coronavirus period has shown that doctors must be in good shape and constantly have professional interaction. Domestic ophthalmology cannot be isolated from global changes in medicine and healthcare, today the flow of information is increasing several times, and it is very important for a doctor to be aware of everything new, very relevant, legislative and of practical importance.

Dear colleagues, We looking forward to welcoming you at our conference. I am confident that the information received will be useful to all participants, and together we will achieve significant results in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the year 2022 as the 'Year of Child'. We are aware of the problems of children’s eye disease like no one else, therefore this conference is a crucial and long-expected event for the ophthalmological society in Kazakhstan. First of all, we all have to note that most young ophthalmologists are interested in cataract and refractive surgery, and it is understandable, because it's more interesting commercially: having mastered one kind of operation, you can comfortably stay in the ophthalmological area; however, the future of any country is children, our children, so if we didn’t take up their problems today, we would get socially vulnerable people with visual disabilities, teenagers and young people  left outside the active social and political life of the country. Today's shortage of children's ophthalmologists, existing the level of professional training, the average age of the remaining experienced ophthalmopediatricians, lack of targeted training programs, lead to a significant increase in eye problems in children and adolescents; the fate of premature babies, school medicine issues, distance learning, hypodynamia and uncontrolled dependence of our children on smartphones, gadgets, etc. are of particular concern. All this is not just disturbing but requires urgent measures in order to rebrand the system of providing ophthalmological services to the country's children, returning of vision protection offices, special schools, kindergartens, and rehabilitation centers.

This conference venue should become a reliable support and platform for the professional community, the academic school of like-minded people, a tribune for top experts in their field, and a place for young people to get acquainted with the profession.

I wish an active, in-demand perspective for our conference, exciting meetings, creative, original reports, a chance to enrich their knowledge for the young, and an opportunity to share their experience for famous clinicians; the more competent we are, the healthier our patients are. I wish you enjoy each other's company.

With the driving force of this bond, our association has reached many members exceeding 2500 from all the member countries. Our association is determined to remain updated and current in the rapidly developing field of ophthalmology. We all have the driving force to achieve this goal, enriched by our deep historical and cultural common ties among all the members. I, therefore, firmly believe and hope that our solidarity and cooperation will also lead us to a level contributing further to the science of ophthalmology.

Pediatric ophthalmology is challenging as it addresses exceptional patient groups and deals with different specialties. Therefore, we can only follow the developments through the collaborative work of various fields of expertise. I am confident this meeting will create a convenient platform for the developments in pediatric ophthalmology to be thoroughly discussed and enable us to serve our children more efficiently for their ocular problems.

Thank you very much for honoring me by allowing me to address you, albeit from afar. I greet you all with my best wishes.

Education is a process that ensures continuous learning, being knowledgeable, producing knowledge and living with knowledge. We are experiencing a very rapid change and transformation. Concepts such as lifelong learning, learning society and e-learning have entered the educational processes. In the globalizing world, it is now a necessity for societies and individuals to get closer to each other and to establish scientific dialogue and communication between them. If new developments and values are not brought to the young generations, it is inevitable to be deprived of modernity and global values. For this reason, decision makers should create environments for renewal of education in parallel with science, update the information at a universal level and ensure that it is transferred to individuals.

We have to be side by side, as related communities with the same roots. In this context, I attach great importance to this international conference meeting focused on “Pediatric Ophthalmology”, where friendship and brotherhood will be strengthened and knowledge and love will be shared, and I hope it will be a useful and productive meeting. Thank you so much for honoring me. I hug you all with love. Stay with love.