ICO ya kasance memba tun 2005.
The International Commission for Optics wata ƙungiyar kimiyya ce ta duniya da aka ƙirƙira a cikin 1947 a matsayin Hukumar Haɗin Kan IUPAP. Taron farko na hukuma na ICO ya faru ne 12-17 Yuli 1948 a dakin gwaje-gwaje na Physics na Technische Hogeschool, Delft, Netherlands (duba hoton hagu). Wakilai arba'in da hudu daga kasashe goma sha daya ne suka halarci tarukan. A zaman farko Pierre Fleury ya sanar da cewa IUPAP ta amince da haɗin gwiwar ICO kuma ta amince da Dokokin da aka amince da su na ɗan lokaci a Prague.
Yanzu ICO cikakken Memba ne na 1 na Majalisar Kimiyya ta Duniya (ISC) tare da mambobi sittin, waɗanda Membobin Kwamitin Yanki na 53 (Mambobi 13 Abokan Hulɗa) da Ƙungiyoyin Ƙasashen Duniya 7 da ke aiki a cikin gani da hoto a duk duniya. A watan Oktoba 2018, shekaru 70 bayan taron farko na farko, Ofishin ICO ya sadu a Delft kuma Dokta Frank Höller (tsakiyar layi, saman hagu a kan hoton dama) ya ɗauki hoto na tunawa a daidai wurin da aka kafa ICO a 1947.
Hukumar gudanarwa ta ICO ita ce Babban Taro, yawanci ana gudanar da ita kowace shekara uku, Ofishin yana kula da ayyukan yau da kullun a halin yanzu. Ofishin ya kunshi shugaban kasa, tsohon shugaban kasa, Sakatare-Janar da Mataimakin Sakatare, Ma'aji, da mataimakan shugabanni goma sha biyar, (takwas zaɓaɓɓu) waɗanda aƙalla biyu suka fito daga masana'antu.
Domin yin hidima da zama wakilin al'ummar optics a duk duniya, ICO tana kula da tuntuɓar membobinta da masana kimiyyar gani a duk ƙasashe kuma tana maraba da duk sabbin lambobin sadarwa. Tare da sauran al'ummomin da abin ya shafa, Hukumar Lafiya ta Duniya tana ba da gudummawa ga daidaita ayyukan kasa da kasa a cikin na'urorin gani da membobinta ke yi, kamar tarurrukan kimiyya na musamman.
ICO ta kafa kwamiti akan Ilimi kuma yana shiga cikin kwamitin gudanarwa na zaɓaɓɓun jerin tarurruka na duniya, gami da Ilimi da Horarwa a cikin Optics da taron Photonics.
ICO ta kafa kwamiti don Ci gaban Yanki na Optics kuma yana da hulɗa tare da Cibiyar Nazarin Ilimin Kimiyya ta Duniya, (ICTP) don nemo hanyoyin da za a taimaka wa masu bincike a kasashe masu tasowa, musamman ta hanyar musayar bayanai da kuma ta hanyar haɗin gwiwar kungiyoyin makarantu. Makarantun da ke da sa hannu na ICO na tsawon makonni biyu ko uku ne, don babban fa'idar masana kimiyyar gani da injiniyoyi a cikin ƙasashe masu ci gaban masana'antu. Gudunmawar ICO ta fi dacewa a cikin nau'i na tallafi don kafa shirin da kuma gano masu koyarwa masu dacewa.
