A compilation of selected papers, posters and lectures presented at the 29th meeting of the European Strabismological Association in Izmir, Turkey, June 2004, outlining the latest developments in the fields of eye surgery, vision screening, ophthalmology and related disciplines. The highlight of this meeting was the special lecture given by Gunter von Noorden, "History of Strabismology", included here in full. The meeting also covered a number of important problems associated with strabismology, including ambyopia, botulinum toxin, Brown's syndrome and congenital fibrosis syndrome. In addition, new methods and techniques are outlined, giving a complete overview of the hot topics in strabismology for strabismologists, pediatric opthalmologists and orthoptists.