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 and comprehensive presentations of recent research results. My co-editor, P. Apkarian, and I wish to thank all participants for timely submission of the manuscripts and for prompt response to inquiries regarding editorial matters. Mr. Peters of Junk Publishers should be acknowleged for observing publication deadlines, thus ensuring that the proceedings will reach all participants prior to the next ISCEV meeting.