[Future through history]

The motto of the German Ophthalmolological Society (DOG) Congress 2019 "Ophthalmology: our medical discipline with a future" raises the question of what "ophthalmological future" should really be, what are its driving forces and what are the foundations of its design. The design of the future, usually equated with "progress", naturally always takes place out of the present, which itself is a product of the past. History, like time and evolution, is always a continuum. Although we may not always be very clear about this, the history always influences the future. "Future through history" especially arises where lessons are learnt from "historical mistakes", where good but forgotten ideas are rediscovered and where history is used for a better understanding.