EyeWorld Asia-Pacific June 2012 Issue

Istiantoro Soekardi, recognized for his services to ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region, passed away on 8 June 2012. At the beginning of his career as an ophthalmologist, Prof. Istiantoro was charged to head the Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association’s Cataract Eradication Program. In addition to directly addressing the number one cause of blindness in Indonesia, the program sought to raise political and social awareness of cataract blindness and general eye health in a country in which, at the time, over half the population lived below the poverty line, scattered across the over 17,500 islands of the Indonesian archipelago. In 1986, he initiated community cataract surgery program run by Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association (IOA/PERDAMI) with the support of Dharmais Foundation, which was headed by the late President Suharto. Prof. Istiantoro himself traveled to remote areas all over Indonesia. To achieve the program’s objectives, he extended the program’s network to include collaboration with other organizations such the Christian Blind Mission, Helen Keller International and Lions International. At its peak, the program conducted around 12,000 surgeries per year. But the challenges the program faced extended beyond logistics. In a 2007 interview with EyeWorld Asia-Pacific , Prof. Istiantoro’s passion for his work became obvious in his frustration as he spoke of the general indifference towards blindness in the country prevalent at the time. His frustration was alleviated only when he contemplated the joy and gratitude of even his most indifferent patients when he successfully restored their vision. Prof. Istiantoro received the Distinguished Service Award from the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) for his work on the program in 1996, and again in 2001. It also paved the way to his becoming president of the IOA. During his administration, he focused on improving the quality of ophthalmic education in Indonesia. Indonesian ophthalmology under his presidency became more competitive than it had ever been before, especially since he initiated the National Board Exams in 1997. The aim was and remains for every Indonesian ophthalmologist to master cataract surgery in order to lower the cataract backlog and blindness rate. Even after his presidency ended, Prof. Istiantoro remained an active and willing advisor to the IOA. He continued to lecture in ophthalmology at the University of Indonesia where he had been Chairman for the Department of Ophthalmology, for which he served as Professor of Ophthalmology. He also founded and chaired the Jakarta Eye Center and served as Chairman for the Foundation for the Advancement of Medicine in Indonesia. Prof. Istiantoro was a member of several other professional organizations, including the International Society of Refractive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He was also a member of the Board of Officers of the APACRS. He helped organize the 1995 APACRS Annual Meeting, and was congress president for the 2004 APACRS Annual Meeting, both held in Bali. Among other international distinctions, he received the IOA Award in 2003 and the APACRS Medal in 2004. Prof. Istiantoro was a member of the Editorial Board of and frequent contributor to EyeWorld Asia-Pacific . We pay tribute to Prof. Istiantoro, and have asked others to share some of their thoughts and memories of one of our most distinguished ophthalmologists. Professor Istiantoro Soekardi, 1941-2012 “The passing away of Prof. Istiantoro is a great loss to the world of ophthalmology in Indonesia, regional and international. “A man with warm personality, as a very close friend and colleague, more than a brother, we were working together for 40 years and since 1976 we shared the same clinic and together co-founded Jakarta Eye Center in 1984. “He was a hard worker, a really knowledgeable ophthalmologist, highly skilled surgeon with a really professional attitude toward his work and organizational activities in ophthalmology as well as in the ASEAN Association of Eye Hospitals (AAEH). “On the day of his passing away, as a respect and to honor him, the Auditorium at Jakarta Eye Center @ Kedoya was named the ‘ISTIANTORO AUDITORIUM’. “He will be long remembered. “May his soul rest in peace.” Dr Darwan M. Purba, MD President, AAEH Hospital Director, Jakarta Eye Center @ Kedoya, Indonesia “Asia has lost an important leader and ophthalmologist. “I have known Prof. Istiantoro for more than 30 years. He was a dedicated ophthalmologist in Asia, where he represented Indonesia. He was very effective in getting together the different ophthalmologists in Asia and throughout the world. This ability is of great importance as it enabled doctors with different national backgrounds and different cultures to understand each other. The Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) has become one of the most dynamic supranational organizations, because of his great influence in getting eye doctors from the Asia-Pacific to work together. “The APAO was very proud of him. We are saddened by the news of his demise. “We extend our condolences to his family and wish that they know Prof. Istiantoro is respected by his colleagues in Asia and throughout the world.” Prof Arthur Lim Siew Ming, MD Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology of National University of Singapore (NUS) Founder Chairman of Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) Founder Director of Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) Immediate Past Secretary-General, APAO Honorary Life President, APACRS Honorary Director, Tianjin Medical University Eye Centre