The XVlIIth ISCEV symposium was organized by the Netherlands Ophthal- mic Research Institute and took place May 18-22, 1980, at the Wilhelmina Gasthuis in Amsterdam. The invited speakers and the theme "Electrophysio- logy and pathology of the visual pathways" were selected by a programme committee consisting of G.H.M. van lith, D. van Norren, L.H. van der Tweel and H. Spekreijse. The success of a symposium depends not only on the topics selected but also on the clarity and qUality of the presentations. In this respect it is a pleasure to acknowledge the four invited speakers for their clear...