The Ophthalmologist is three years old now. You might be reading this Editorial on our website, iPhone or iPad app, or even our beautifully designed print version of the magazine. We have readers from around the world (the US and Canada appear to represent a sizeable proportion of our online readership) but if you’re reading a physical copy of this issue, you’re almost certainly located in Europe. That’s about to change.
From next month, there will be a North American edition of The Ophthalmologist. There’s two reasons for that. Right from the start, we’ve had calls to bring the magazine to North America. So the first reason is easy – supply and demand. If they demand it, we’ll supply it. Second, it’s clearly a different market, from a number of standpoints: the regulatory environment, the products available, and indeed, even clinical practice patterns. The content needs to reflect that.
This does mean that the North American edition will address some of the more technical and procedural aspects of the practice of ophthalmology in the US and Canada, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t cover the big, the interesting, the useful and the profoundly game-changing stories in a fun and engaging manner. We will, with a transatlantic flavor.
Of course, a lot of medicine is applicable everywhere – it’s not like DMEK is performed one way in Reno and another way in Rotterdam. Stories that originate in North America can still be fully relevant in Europe, and vice versa. Ultimately, what I think is most important is that we tell the best story we can, each month, to the best of our ability.
You’ll still be able to use www.theopthalmologist.com to access all of our content. If you’re located in the US or Canada, you’ll see the North American Edition, if you’re not, you’ll see the European version. But even in a world where digital publication is seen as the future, I’m proud that we’re still offering print copies to our loyal subscribers. I can joke about it having a higher resolution, better color reproduction and a longer battery life than an iPad or a Kindle, but there is something special about holding a print magazine. I’d still rather read something in print during a coffee break than tap and swipe at a screen: there’s a luxury attached to turning the glossy pages of something that’s been produced and designed by a prodigiously hard-working and talented team every month. And it’s this that I’m most glad to offer to ophthalmologists in the US and Canada.
So if you’re based in either country and want to start receiving our brand new North American print edition, why not go online to www.theopthalmologist.com/subscribe and sign up?
Mark Hillen
Editor
I spent seven years as a medical writer, writing primary and review manuscripts, congress presentations and marketing materials for numerous – and mostly German – pharmaceutical companies. Prior to my adventures in medical communications, I was a Wellcome Trust PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.
