The course has become a major reference source for ophthalmologists wishing to receive updated scientific information on refractive surgery.  From its beginning (2000), the aim of the “Refractive on line” course has been to provide ophthalmologists with a tool giving both basic ideas and advanced information on refractive surgery.  This requires including not only centreal presentations from ophthalmologists, but also additional material from researchers in other fields who, over the years, have contributed towards establishing the fundamental knowledge underlying this field.

In order to aid learning, preferred outlines have been prepared for each subject (e.g. topography, aberrometry, refractive intraocular lenses, etc) in order to provide course material specific for beginners and experts alike.

With the aim of constructing an integral method of treatment, fundamental scientific presentations are associated with centreal presentations.  Throughout its lifetime, the course has always included a section dedicated to in-depth analysis of basic scientific research linking histology and the physico-chemical aspects of corneal tissues and sessions dedicated to the in-depth analysis of established and avant garde surgical procedures, comparing the best ophthalmic surgeons in the world and the results that they have achieved.

The course also aims to spread the use of the most modern instrumental investigation procedures in the field of excimer laser refractive surgery (such as aberrometry and corneal topography) and to create a valid tool towards understanding the problems associated with refractive surgery, thus helping to apply surgical solutions capable of improved correction of common refractive defects.  Thus, the objective of the course is to encourage ophthalmologists not to be contented with the mere correction of refractive defects, but to increase the patient’s visual acuity as much as possible by eliminating all optical aberrations.

Thanks to the considerable interest the “refractive on line” event has aroused in the world of ophthalmology, Dr. Vinciguerra, M.d. has now decided to set up a website on which all the events meetings and the recorded presentations from Italian and international speakers can be consulted.