Grasping the baton

Beginnings and endings', every ending is the start of a new beginning, is what Arun Singh and I wrote as outgoing editors, in our farewell editorial for the British Journal of Ophthalmology, almost 12 years ago [1].It was then an 'ending' for us; today for me, it is the start of a new 'beginning' as Editor-in-Chief of Eye.I step into this role with some trepidation, but largely with enthusiasm and confidence.'The past determines the future, the past is often the future'.My confidence stems from the immediate past of Eye, a solid foundation laid by Sobha Sivaprasad the outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Steve Beet, the Managing Editor of Eye and the small but formidable army of associate editors, sections editors board members and the extended family of reviewers and of course, most importantly, the contributors and readers.Building the future on this foundation together with the cohesive team that I inherit, will make the onward and upward journey seamless.Journal editors have to deal with and juggle the often competing demands of the publisher, the reviewers, the authors and the readers.The publisher makes it all happen and while the authors and readers are the heart and soul of the journal, the reviewers, which include the entire editorial team, are the backbone, which keeps the science straight.Timely and thoughtful reviews are key to a journal's success and author satisfaction.This enormous and often unsung effort deserves greater recognition and acknowledgement.I will explore the creation of a points system for reviewers, who can earn points and use them on journal items such as reprints, open access, colour images and other options, which in turn would mean that the reviewers will have to submit their work as authors, to the journal.It will be a tangible reward for the reviewers and enrich the journal, a winwin situation, if ever there was one.Fortuitously, in a few months there will also be a change at the helm of the College with the installation of Mohamed Elalfy as the new President who holds the College's journal, Eye, in high esteem.I am positive that he will give this proposal due consideration in consultation with the College council and the publisher.A big challenge facing scientific