Terms and Conditions

WCRS Forum Rules & Etiquette and Privacy Guidelines

Thank you for being part of the World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences (WCRS) community. To ensure the best possible experience for all members, we have established some basic guidelines for participation.

By joining and using the WCRS Forum, you agree that you have read and will follow these rules and guidelines. You also agree to keep discussions, shared files, and content relevant to the community’s purpose. This forum is an excellent place to seek advice from your peers, benefit from their experience, and engage in meaningful conversations. If you have any questions, please direct them to our Member Services department via the Contact Us link on this site.

Please take a moment to review these important guidelines. If you have any questions, reach out to our Member Services department. To maintain an environment that fosters both civil and productive dialogue, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate membership for anyone who violates these rules.

The Rules

  • Respect others. Focus on the content of posts, not the individuals making them. Please be understanding of new members—there is no such thing as a “stupid” question.
  • Respect the purpose of the WCRS Forum. Use the forum to share successes, challenges, constructive feedback, questions, and goals, rather than promoting products or services you provide. If you’ve had a positive experience with a product or service, feel free to share it with the group in a respectful manner.
  • Use caution when discussing products. Remember that information posted in discussion groups and libraries is visible to all members. Please ensure that your comments comply with libel, slander, and antitrust laws.
  • Prohibited content. All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly forbidden. Do not post anything you wouldn’t want the world to see or that you wouldn’t want associated with your name.
  • Respect intellectual property. Post only content that you have created or have permission to use and appropriately attribute to the original creator.
  • Reusability. When posting items, please indicate if the material is not available for reuse. If you wish to reuse content posted by others, contact the original creator for permission.
  • Appropriate postings. Post your messages or documents to the most relevant discussion groups to avoid “noise” and ensure you receive the best possible responses.

Discussion Group Etiquette

  • Clear subject lines. Clearly state the topic of your post in the subject line to help others respond appropriately and facilitate easier searches in the forum archives.
  • Private messages for simple replies. Messages like “Thanks for the information” or “Me too” should be sent to individuals, not the entire group. Use the “Reply to Sender” link for these types of responses.
  • Avoid administrative messages to the group. If you need to change your email or remove yourself from a list, use the forum’s web interface to update your settings. You do not need to unsubscribe and rejoin if your email address changes—just update your profile.

HIPAA Compliance

Please recognize that the United States (US) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires that a patient's identity and personal health information be protected. It is illegal to release any and all identifiable health information about a patient without that patient's consent (including pictures with identifying information).

When sharing case information, no more than a patient's gender and age should be provided. All other identifying information should be removed.

Legal Considerations

This forum is a service provided to the members of the World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences (WCRS). WCRS is not responsible for the opinions or information posted by others on this site. We disclaim all warranties concerning the information posted, whether by WCRS or any third party; this includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. WCRS will not be held liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages, including those resulting from the loss of use, data, or profits in connection with any information posted.

Do not post defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal material. Posting copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder is prohibited. By submitting content, you represent and warrant that you own the copyright or have permission from the copyright owner. You also grant WCRS and other users of this forum the nonexclusive right to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, and use the submitted content.

Messages that encourage illegal agreements—such as price fixing, market allocation, or boycotting another business—are inappropriate. Do not post messages related to prices, discounts, terms of sale, salaries, profit margins, market shares, or rejection of customers or suppliers.

WCRS does not actively monitor the forum for inappropriate content but will take appropriate action if any such content is brought to our attention. We reserve the right to terminate access to any user who violates these guidelines.

Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. Any personal information you provide, including your name, address, telephone number, or email address, will not be released, sold, or rented to any entities or individuals outside of the WCRS, except as noted below.

With Whom We Share Personal Information:

  • Service Providers: We may share your personal information with companies (including our affiliates) that provide services on our behalf, such as processing credit card payments. These service providers are required to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide on our behalf.
  • Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, reorganization, dissolution, or similar corporate event, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. Any use of your personal information by the acquiring entity will be subject to this Privacy Policy.
  • Government and Legal Disclosures: We may disclose your personal information if required by law or necessary to prevent a crime, investigate fraud, or protect the rights, property, or safety of our company, users, or others.

External Sites

We are not responsible for the content of external websites. Please review the privacy policies of external sites before disclosing any personal information.

Cookies

A “cookie” is a small data file placed on your browser to recognize you each time you visit the forum. Cookies do not contain personal information, and we do not use them to collect personal data. Third-party content providers may also use cookies.

Remember the Risks

While we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted over the internet. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your passwords or account details. External websites accessible through our forum have separate privacy practices, for which we disclaim responsibility. If you have any questions, please contact the respective service providers directly.

For any other inquiries, please contact us via the Contact Us page.