EyeWorld Asia-Pacific March 2015 Issue

5 March 2015 EWAP CONTENTS 28th APACRS annual meeting invites attendees through ‘the door to the infinite’ by Chiles Aedam R. Samaniego EyeWorld Asia-Pacific Senior Staff Writer T he Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS) last held its annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur at the turn of the millennium. On its return after 15 years, the society is working together with the various regional and international cataract and refractive societies, and in partnership with the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology (MSO) to provide attendees with another outstanding scientific program with the distinct flavor of APACRS. The 28th APACRS annual meeting will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, a world-class convention center located well within walking distance of one of the world’s most iconic architectural marvels: the Petronas Towers. While no longer holding the title of the tallest building in the world as it did the last time the APACRS held its annual meeting in the Malaysian capital, it remains among the seven tallest skyscrapers, with a design that creates one of the most distinctive skylines in the world. Standing at 1,483 feet with 88 floors, the towers are joined on the 41st and 42nd floors by a sky bridge, still the highest double- decker bridge in the world. In describing the design of the Petronas Towers, main architect Cesar Pelli has been quoted as referencing ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tse. “According to Lao Tse, the reality of a hollow object is in the void and not in the walls that define it,” Pelli is quoted in the online architectural resource, ArchDaily. 1 “He was speaking, of course, of spiritual realities. These are the realities also of the Petronas Towers. The power of the void is increased and made more explicit by the pedestrian bridge that … with its supporting structure creates a portal to the sky … a door to the infinite.” This year, the APACRS invites its members through this door to seek “New Horizons” and “Reach for the Stars.” To that end, the APACRS has organized yet another stellar scientific program, featuring a faculty composed of the world ophthalmology community’s best and brightest. Among the highlights of the meeting’s scientific program, the APACRS offers a Combined Symposium of Cataract and Refractive Societies (CSCRS) on “The Event Horizon: Complex Cataract Surgery.” Referring to event horizon surrounding black holes, the symposium is set to explore similar points of no return in cataract surgery, particularly in cases of fluid misdirection syndrome, Descemet’s membrane detachment, anterior capsular tear, incision burn, absence of zonules, ruptured posterior capsule, subluxated nucleus, and eccentric pupil. Together with WSPOS and MSO, the APACRS will also be holding a symposium in which experts will engage in a “great debate” on controversies in pediatric cataract and refractive surgery. Meanwhile, this year’s prestigious APACRS LIM Lecture will be given by one of the region’s most innovative experts, Pannet Pangputhipong, MD , director, Mettapracharak Hospital and Eye Institute, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Dr. Pannet’s APACRS LIM Lecture will be on “Learning and Teaching Phaco- emulsification: From Day 1 to Day 8720,” based on his experience as one of the pioneers of Thailand’s and the Asia-Pacific regions conversion from extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) to phacoemulsification. Illustrating “the journey from novice to master” and demonstrating “the thought processes behind innovative cataract surgical techniques,” Dr. Pannet will also discuss in detail the development of the most recent techniques as well as strategies for complications including a hard nucleus, loose zonules, and small pupils. As usual, the scientific program will be prefaced by the society’s popular series of MasterClasses. This year’s MasterClasses are on mastering femtophaco cataract surgery, the finer points of IOL fixation, essential biometry, vitrectomy for anterior segment surgeons, pterygium, toric IOLs, indications and techniques for amniotic membrane transplantation, crosslinking, manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS), phakic IOLs, principles and practice of LASIK and its alternatives, and microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) for the cataract surgeons. The society will also be holding phaco hands-on wetlabs using Kitaro Artificial Eyes under the supervision of inventor Junsuke Akura, MD, PhD , chief director, Association for Ophthalmic Cooperation in Asia (AOCA), vice-chairman, Japan International Cooperation of Ophthalmology (JICO), clinical professor, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, and managing director, Frontier Vision Co. Ltd., among others. Apart from being a thriving cosmopolitan capital, Kuala Lumpur “also boasts convenient access to a wide variety of natural attractions, including beaches, island resorts, virgin rainforests, and some of the best diving sites in the world,” say APACRS leaders and organizers Graham Barrett, MD , president, APACRS, Ronald Yeoh, MD , secretary, APACRS, Y.C. Lee, MD , organizing chairman, and Fang Seng Kheong, MD , organizing co-chairman. The 28th APACRS annual meeting will be held from August 5 to 8, 2015. EWAP Reference 1. Andrew Kroll. “AD Classics: Petronas Towers / Cesar Pelli.” 24 Jan 2011. Web. 13 Feb 2015. [http://www.archdaily. com/105895/ad-classics-petronas- towers-cesar-pelli/]