9th Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week
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The 9th Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week, held from Oct. 7 to 13 in conjunction with World Sight Day 2019, was another great success.
The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology would like to thank all member societies that participated in this important event organized by the APAO Public Education Standing Committee. Special thanks go to the two subspecialty member societies, the Asia Cornea Society and the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society, for providing public educational materials for all APAO member societies to use.
Source: APAO
With the suggested themes of meibomian gland dysfunction and age-related macular degeneration this year, a total of six member societies have shown their active participation. Here is a summary of the activities organized.
Throughout the week, the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh organized various events. These included a seminar at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on AMD and MGD for junior doctors, residents and postgraduate students.
Additionally, free cataract surgery camps and free screening programs were offered at the Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, and the Velemegna Eye Hospital in India. The camps and programs conducted screening for a total of 70 patients and operated 15 patients free of cost.
In conjunction with World Sight Day (WSD) on Oct. 10, a program in Malaysia was held to promote eye care and vision rehabilitation to the public. A variety of interesting activities was provided, including a health talk on the use of smart full lenses and healthy cooking demos. The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and Minister of Health of Malaysia also made their presence.
In Myanmar, Eye Care Week and WSD were widely celebrated in the major cities of Yangon, Mandalay and Magway. Poster presentations and primary eye care to the public took place to highlight the slogan “Vision First.”
To echo Eye Care Week and WSD, the College of Ophthalmologists of Sri Lanka chose to create public awareness on eye care through a public walk and invited their Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine to take part. An optical lab was also opened in Colombo and gave free spectacles to the needy.
More interesting activities could be observed in Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong. In Chinese Taipei, a press conference was held to address the addiction of people to watching videos on 3C devices and earned nearly 300 pieces of media coverage. By leveraging the influence of celebrities, the Ophthalmological Society of Chinese Taipei invited 11 local artists to design eye care T-shirts and share them on their social media. Two online quizzes were also launched to remind the public of the importance of eye care. More than 20,000 participants engaged in the quizzes, which was a brilliant result achieved.
In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society joined hands with local organizations and authorities to organize eye care activities, such as the health exhibition with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong and public education talks with the Hong Kong Housing Society.
Find out more about the 9th Asia-Pacific Eye Care Week on the APAO website, and stay tuned for details of next year’s event.
13th APVRS Congress in Shanghai
In less than 2 weeks, on Nov. 22, the 13th Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society Congress will kick off at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China.
All the scientific programs have been finalized. The Congress organizers would like to thank all scientific committee members for their expertise and support.
Sponsored by Carl Zeiss, the APVRS Congress will present awards for the best submitted abstracts in free paper, poster, e-poster and video categories. A total of 12 prizes will be awarded.
Additionally, the social program at APVRS 2019 will include several events such as the Opening Ceremony, Presidential Dinner and Congress Party. Delegates will experience both the Presidential Dinner and Congress Party in one go this year and engage with some of the most fascinating Chinese art and local activities. Further details can be found on the Congress website.
Please note that online registration will close Nov. 14 (Hong Kong time, GMT+8). After that, only onsite registration will be accepted. Standard rates will begin on Nov. 11 and remain open until the Congress begins.
The complete details of the 2019 APVRS award recipients, invited sessions, submitted presentations, exhibitors and more are now available online in the PDF version of the Congress final program. Additionally, the abstract book, including free papers, posters, e-posters and videos, will soon be made available on the Congress website and the APVRS Congress app for Android and Apple devices.