In 1984, we organized a two-day symposium on retinal degenerations as part of the biennial meeting of the VI International Society for Eye Research, held in Alicante, Spain. The success of this first meeting led to the second held, two years later in Sendai, Japan, organized as a satellite of the VII ISER. We were fortunate that these meetings began at a time of vigorous research activity in the area of retinal degenerations, thanks to the financial...