This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
APAO 2018 Congress highlights
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Held from Feb. 8 to 11 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the 33rd Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress was a great success, with more than 5,200 delegates from 87 countries in attendance. This year’s Congress was co-organized by two local hosts: the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society and the College of Ophthalmologists of Hong Kong.
We were much honored to have Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health Prof. Sophia Chan as the official guest of honor at the Congress Opening Ceremony, which began with a bagpipe procession and included a special technology-themed kickoff. Immediately beforehand, the APAO Plenary Session featured leaders in ophthalmology from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond discussing the pursuit of excellence in topics such as big data, gene therapy, advocacy and more.
Prof. Dennis Lam of Hong Kong was chair of the Scientific Program Committee for APAO 2018, which comprised 17 conveners and 74 coordinators who worked together to implement an outstanding program featuring the latest updates in ophthalmology and visual sciences. There were 177 scientific sessions at APAO 2018, including invited talks from more than 600 speakers.
In the submitted program of the APAO 2018 Congress, 274 free papers were presented, and 22 instruction courses were also offered. Moreover, there were 381 poster presentations, 389 e-poster presentations and 62 video presentations in the Exhibition Hall.
Highlights of the social program included the Presidential Dinner held on racing night at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Gala Dinner, where attendees were treated to a taste of old Hong Kong. Many awards were also presented at the Gala Dinner, including new special recognition for the most popular posters, e-posters and videos, as chosen by delegate votes, at the Congress.
When the delegate votes were tallied, the five most popular poster abstracts at APAO 2018 were submitted by Dr. Namgech Khoem of Cambodia, Dr. Peter Leung of Hong Kong, Dr. Kabindra Bajracharya of Nepal, Dr. Keiko Kataoka of Japan and Dr. Pulthip Charoenphol of Thailand. The five most popular e-poster abstracts were those by Dr. Koshal Shrestha of Nepal, Dr. Rizqi Wahyu Hariyono of Indonesia, Dr. Irma Selekta Vera of Indonesia, Dr. Indha Dwi Kartikasari of Indonesia and Dr. Ferriya Sri Agustin of Indonesia. The five most popular video presentations were created by Dr. Bhuvan Chanana of India, Dr. Salim Ismail of New Zealand, Dr. Nivean M of India, Dr. Vivek Pravin Dave of India and Prof. Rajvardhan Azad of India.
Additionally, the 3rd APAO Charity Run took place on the morning of Feb. 10, starting from the Hong Kong Observation Wheel. More than 180 participants raised nearly US$13,000, which will be divided equally between the new APAO Satellite Congress educational program and Blind Sports Hong Kong.
The overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd place male runners were Anthony Mak (10:28), Mohamed Dirani (11:14) and Kevin Diaz Tay (12:23). Among the female runners, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place went to Jennifer Leung (14:20), Chan Ho Yan (15:21) and Chan Jing Tung (15:28). A complete list of winners in the different race categories is now available online.
Want to read more about the APAO 2018 Congress? Check out the show dailies available on the Congress website. What’s more, delegates can also view and contribute to photo albums of various events and activities at APAO 2018 in Hong Kong. All photos can be downloaded and saved for reference or personal use.
Additionally, APAO 2018 attendees can log in to the Congress system to download and print certificates of attendance, participation and CME.
Next year, the 34th APAO Congress, co-organized by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists of Thailand, will be held in Bangkok from March 6 to 9, 2019. Stay tuned for further details.
4th Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Congress
The 4th Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Congress (APGC), organized by APAO subspecialty member the Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society (APGS) together with the Korean Glaucoma Society, will be held from April 13 to 15 in Busan, South Korea.
Prof. Ki Ho Park of South Korea will serve as Congress President of APGC 2018, while Dr. Seng-Kheong Fang of Malaysia chairs the congress Scientific Program Committee. During the APGC Plenary Session on Friday, April 13, three APGC awardees will be recognized: Prof. Sir Peng T. Khaw will receive the APGS International Award; APAO President-Elect Prof. Ningli Wang will receive the APGS Asia-Pacific Award; and Dr. Hiroshi Murata will receive the Young Investigator APGS Award.
Be sure to visit APAO staff in booth A15 in the Exhibition Hall at APGC 2018. Exhibition opening hours are from 08:30 to 20:00 on Friday, April 13, with the Welcome Reception starting from 17:30. On April 14 and 15, the exhibition will be open from 08:30 to 17:30 daily.
For more information about APGC, please visit https://apgc2018.org.