The Institute of Community Ophthalmology (ICO) is housed on the campus of the Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC), owing to the availability of essential infrastructure, logistical services, and support, particularly clinical facilities. The Institute is governed by a separate Governing Body, headed by the Vice-Chancellor of Chittagong Medical University (CMU).
The Institute of Community Ophthalmology (ICO), the academic wing of the Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC), was established in 1981 and subsequently became an affiliated institution of the University of Chittagong in 1991. It was awarded affiliation with Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) in 2011. ICO has been conducting the MS (Ophthalmology) residency course under BMU, since March 2019. The Institute also offers the two-year Diploma in Community Ophthalmology (DCO) under BMU and a four-year Bachelor of Science in Optometry programme, which was initially conducted under the University of Chittagong from 2010.
The Bachelor of Science in Optometry programme is currently being conducted under Chittagong Medical University (CMU), beginning with the 9th batch in 2018.
CEITC facilitates ICO in providing quality eye-care training to both doctors and optometrists. To support these educational and clinical activities, a research centre named the Dr. Ahmadur Rahman Research Centre was established with modern research facilities. Since its establishment, ophthalmologists and other professionals associated with the centre have contributed significantly to ophthalmic and community eye-care research through publications in national and international journals. The centre promotes and encourages research among doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Every year, the Institute of Community Ophthalmology publishes its scientific journal, Ophthalmic Horizon, through the Research Centre. The journal features articles contributed by ophthalmologists, social scientists, optometrists, and other researchers.
The Institute of Community Ophthalmology is the brainchild of a group of visionary individuals who recognised the need to address community ophthalmic problems in Bangladesh. It was established with the objective of providing doctors with training in community-oriented ophthalmology alongside clinical ophthalmology, thereby helping to meet the healthcare needs of the country. This vision led to the establishment of ICO in 1981. The Institute initially operated as an affiliated institution and eventually became a constituent part of the University of Chittagong.
The Institute is headed by a full-time Director who oversees its day-to-day academic and clinical activities. The faculty comprises both full-time and part-time members, including locally and internationally trained optometrists and other professionals.
Prof. F. A. Billson, former Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Sydney, has been closely associated with the doctors’ training programme since 1979 and assisted in the establishment of the Institute of Community Ophthalmology. The Institute has also benefited from the contributions of internationally renowned part-time faculty members, including Prof. R. Pararajasegaram of Switzerland and Prof. Rogers Pierson of the United States.