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The APAO and its member societies
In this issue, the APAO highlights the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society.
The Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society was formed in 1954. Over the past 59 years, it has grown substantially and currently has more than 300 regular members, representing most of the ophthalmologists actively practicing in Hong Kong.
The main goal of the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society (HKOS) is to maintain and improve the quality of eye care in Hong Kong. HKOS regularly organizes public eye education campaigns, health talks and screening programs to arouse public awareness about the importance of eye health. Recently held programs included screenings for amblyopia, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. HKOS also partners regularly with local and international nongovernmental and medical organizations to organize eye health programs for the general public and medical professionals.
Another mission of HKOS is to facilitate communications among eye care professionals in Hong Kong. Since 1989, HKOS has organized an annual scientific meeting, the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Symposium, which has greatly facilitated and promoted the exchange of scientific knowledge among ophthalmologists in Hong Kong and beyond. Together with the College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong, HKOS hosted the World Ophthalmology Congress 2008, in conjunction with the 23rd Congress of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, the 13th Congress of the Chinese Ophthalmological Society and the 20th Hong Kong Ophthalmological Symposium. The meeting was a great success and was attended by more than 13,000 delegates and exhibitors from more than 100 countries.
Images: Lam DSC
This year, the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Symposium will be held on Dec. 14 to 15, featuring José L. Güell, MD, PhD, of Spain. To learn more about the meeting, please visit www.hkos.org.hk/asm.shtml.
In anticipation of its 60th anniversary next year, HKOS will be organizing a series of events. Please stay tuned.
APAO Grand Rounds Around the World and Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week
The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology organized its 3rd Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week during the second week of October to raise public awareness of the importance of eye health in the Asia-Pacific region. On Oct. 10, World Sight Day, the APAO launched its Grand Rounds Around the World. On this occasion, it was hosted by Osaka University and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of the Sun Yat-Sen University and co-hosted by C-MER Shenzhen Dennis Lam Eye Hospital. Before that, the APAO Grand Rounds Around the World had a soft launch in July, with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of the Sun Yat-Sen University as hosts and C-MER Shenzhen Dennis Lam Eye Hospital as joint organizer. In the start-up phase, recorded Grand Rounds will be uploaded onto the APAO online education website after editing. One can easily view the program online with a suitable media player. In the next phase, we hope to have video streaming so that one can watch the program live and interact with our speakers through a “phone-in” during the question-and-answer sessions. We will make an announcement when the edited videos are uploaded. Please stay tuned.
As for the 3rd Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week, we are pleased to report that various activities were organized by our member societies in the Asia-Pacific region, including educational lectures, seminars, free screenings and eye examinations. In Malaysia, the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology held the Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week for the first time, with the king of Malaysia attending the ceremony held on World Sight Day. Public educational talks on contact lenses, corneal ulcers, trauma and other topics were organized, with free eye screenings provided for almost 1,000 people. In Chinese Taipei, the Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan organized a series of events, including a public forum and free eye screenings. In Hong Kong, an education series was launched to coincide with Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week. We hope that more of our member societies will join us in due course for this important event.
To learn more about the events held during Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week, please visit www.apaophth.org/eyecareweek/2013.
APAO International Fellowship Program
The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology has endorsed a new initiative to launch the APAO International Fellowship Program. Selected APAO fellows will receive some financial support from the APAO to complete their fellowship training at APAO-accredited training centers. They will also have the opportunity to publish their research works conducted during their fellowship training in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, the official journal of the APAO. Upon completion of the training program, they will receive their certificate at the upcoming APAO congress with complimentary registration. The APAO is now inviting qualified training centers to provide fellowship training programs for our selected fellows. For more information, please contact us at florencechung@apaophth.org.