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31st APAO Congress in conjunction with SOE
Co-hosted by the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology and the Ophthalmological Society of Chinese Taipei in conjunction with the European Society of Ophthalmology, the 31st APAO Congress has received more than 1,200 submitted abstracts that are now being reviewed. Abstract submission results will be available by the end of November. We thank the Reviewing Committee for its help in completing the reviews. In addition, formation of the Scientific Program Committee is now complete. More information is available at http://2016.apaophth.org/program-committee/. The Program Committee of APAO 2016 features an International Advisory Board comprising directors, chairs and/or presidents of world-renowned eye institutes and international ophthalmic organizations. Together, they will recommend speakers from their affiliations to present at APAO 2016.
Images: Lam DSC
SOE symposia and support from the international ophthalmic community
Represented by Jan-Tjeerd de Faber, MD, Stefan Seregard, MD, Susanne Binder, MD, and Marie-José Tassignon, MD, the SOE will organize four symposia covering pediatric ophthalmology, ocular oncology and pathology, surgical retina and cataract. This is a valuable opportunity for the East to meet with the West four years after the previous conjoint APAO-SOE in Busan, Korea, in 2012.
In addition to the SOE symposia, APAO 2016 will feature symposia organized by APAO’s subspecialty member societies, including the Asia Cornea Society, the Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society, the Asia-Pacific Strabismus and Paediatric Ophthalmology Society, the Asia-Pacific Society of Ocular Oncology and Pathology, the Asia Pacific Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society. We also thank the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the International Society of Refractive Surgery, the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision, the International Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Council and the World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus for organizing invited symposia at APAO 2016.
Early-bird registration deadline and hotel reservation
Early-bird registration for APAO 2016 is available until Nov. 30. Register now to take advantage of the best rate. Hotel reservations will open to all starting Nov. 1. There are a variety of options ranging from luxury to budget choices. For more information, please visit http://2016.apaophth.org/hotel-reservation.
In line with APAO’s policy to go green, delegates paid in full will be able to collect an Easy Card with a stored value when they pick up their delegate bags on site. Delegates can travel to the congress venue with the Easy Card and easily top it up at a nearby MRT station. Delegates are strongly recommended to stay in a hotel along various MRT lines.
Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week
The 5th annual Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week was held from Oct. 5 to 11 with a focus on childhood myopia and eyelid mass. Reference materials on these topics, produced by the Asia-Pacific Strabismus and Paediatric Ophthalmology Society and the Asia Pacific Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, were available to all APAO member societies for use in public education activities. Various national member societies of the APAO, including the Chinese Ophthalmological Society, the Philippines Academy of Ophthalmology, the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh and the Ophthalmological Society of Chinese Taipei, campaigned for better vision in their countries, and different activities were organized to this end. A report on the activities held during the 5th Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week in the Asia-Pacific region is available at http://www.apaophth.org/eyecareweek/2015.
Leadership development program mid-year MasterClass
Hosted by the Indonesian Ophthalmologist Association, the mid-year MasterClass of the APAO Leadership Development Program was held from Oct. 1 to 3 in Bali. Not only did delegates have the opportunity to develop their leadership and communication skills further, but they were also asked to apply what they had learned to solve problems in a real-world scenario through advocacy, influence and negotiation.
With 3 million blind people and around 1,000 ophthalmologists, the doctor-patient ratio in Indonesia is far from ideal. LDP participants were asked to think of strategies to help Indonesia combat its high prevalence of blindness.
The LDP Class 2015-16 will present its self-initiated projects at APAO 2016. All LDP classes at the APAO annual congress are open for audit by all delegates. If you are interested in participating in the APAO LDP Class 2016-17, you may contact your national society for more information. Nomination by APAO’s member societies will open shortly.