Professional Association of Ophthalmologists in Germany

The Berufsverband der Augenärztinnen und Augenärzte Deutschlands e.V. (BVA) is a voluntary professional association and interest group representing approximately 90% of German ophthalmologists. It is one of the first democratically organized specialist medical associations in Germany. Its primary tasks include representing, promoting, and advocating for the professional, labor law, technical, scientific, and informational interests of its members. In addition to continuing education and training, and providing scientific and professional policy information, quality assurance and control of the specialty are among its key responsibilities. The BVA is a member of the Spitzenverband Fachärztinnen und Fachärzte Deutschlands e.V. (SpiFa), the umbrella organization of German specialist physicians. It maintains close cooperation with the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft (DOG), the scientific association of German ophthalmologists, with which it has established numerous joint commissions on topics such as ophthalmological training, law, international ophthalmology, and ophthalmological guidelines. The association is organized into 17 state branches and maintains a range of specialist departments addressing professional policy, technical, and professional law issues. Its members are represented by a delegates' assembly of 70 ordinary members, who elect the board. As of January 2020, the first chairman was Peter Heinz, a practicing ophthalmologist from Schlüsselfeld, who succeeded Bernd Bertram, an ophthalmologist and university lecturer from Aachen. The federal office is located in Düsseldorf. The BVA is active in public health education, issuing warnings such as advising the use of certified protective glasses during the solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, to prevent retinal damage, and supporting campaigns like the school sports glasses initiative. It also addresses policy issues such as the impact of statutory health insurance (GKV) cuts on specialist appointments and the treatment of eye infections.

The Berufsverband der Augenärztinnen und Augenärzte Deutschlands e.V. (BVA) was established as a voluntary professional association and interest group for German ophthalmologists. It is recognized as one of the first democratically organized specialist medical associations in Germany. From its inception, the BVA has focused on representing the professional, labor law, technical, scientific, and informational interests of its members. Over time, it has grown to represent approximately 90% of all German ophthalmologists, making it a significant voice in the field. The association is structured into 17 state branches (Landesverbände) and maintains numerous specialist departments (Fachressorts) that address a wide range of topics, including occupational medicine, diagnostic centers, imaging procedures, complementary medicine, color vision, fee schedules, contact lenses, ophthalmic surgery, electrophysiology, optics, practice management, press, private physicians, psychosomatics, quality management, law, legal ophthalmology, sports ophthalmology, strabology and neuro-ophthalmology, dry eye, European representation, and traffic ophthalmology. The BVA is a member of the Spitzenverband Fachärztinnen und Fachärzte Deutschlands e.V. (SpiFa), the umbrella organization for specialist physicians in Germany. It also cooperates closely with the Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft (DOG), the scientific society for ophthalmology, with which it has established joint commissions on topics such as continuing education, law, international ophthalmology, and clinical guidelines. The association is governed by a delegates' assembly of 70 ordinary members who elect the board. As of January 2020, the first chairman was Peter Heinz, a practicing ophthalmologist from Schlüsselfeld, who succeeded Bernd Bertram, an ophthalmologist and university lecturer from Aachen. The federal office is located in Düsseldorf. The BVA is active in public health education and advocacy, issuing warnings on eye safety (e.g., solar eclipse viewing) and supporting campaigns such as the school sports glasses initiative. It also engages in health policy debates, such as the impact of statutory health insurance (GKV) cuts on specialist appointments.

• Peter Heinz becomes First Chairman, succeeding Bernd Bertram.

• BVA warns about retinal damage during solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.

Professional association and interest group for ophthalmologists in Germany

1. 1BVA official websiteaugeninfo.de
2. 2Wikipedia article on Berufsverband der Augenärztinnen und Augenärzte Deutschlandsde.wikipedia.org
3. 3Wikidata entrywikidata.org