EyeWorld Asia-Pacific September 2015 Issue

57 EWAP NEWS & OPINION September 2015 Lim shared his idea to establish this annual meeting that would go around to different countries each year, acting as a venue for skills transfer and experiencing different countries and cultures. Dr. Barrett’s first official meeting as the APACRS president was in Kuala Lumpur in 2000. One of the key things that was done at this time was to develop some infrastructure, he said. We needed a home, Dr. Barrett said, so the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) really helped out in this aspect. “I will never take for granted the support we received from all the directors at SNEC over those many years which enabled us to grow in strength and independence today,” he said. “The proudest achievement, I think, as part of APACRS is the establishment of our EyeWorld Asia- Pacifi c news journal,” he said. This year marks the 10th anniversary of EyeWorld Asia-Pacific, which has grown to reach over 20,000 ophthalmologists in 20 countries around the world. It’s a great resource for education and skills transfer, Dr. Barrett said. “I think over the years what’s happened is the dream has come true,” he said. “The dream is for APACRS to be the representative of the field of cataract and refractive surgery.” There are 2 particular sessions that Dr. Barrett highlighted which he believes represent some of the really shining features of the APACRS meeting. These are yesterday’s MasterClasses, which are a unique form of teaching, and the Combined Symposium of Cataract and Refractive Societies (CSCRS). This is also the 10th anniversary of CSCRS, also held at the annual ASCRS and ESCRS meetings. “After 15 years [as president], it’s time for the next phase,” he said. “This will be the last time I will address you as president of APACRS.” The organization has grown and needs to reflect that in its progress, he said. We have established a structurally sound organization that will only prosper in the future, he added. Dr. Barrett said he believes the most important “jewel in the scepter” of APACRS is the group that represents the leaders from different countries that make up the board of the organization. This year’s meeting is co- hosted by the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology (MSO), and a number of other societies are also involved. Representatives from the organizations were recognized during this time. The opening ceremony also featured the presentation of certified appreciation to the local organizing committee. This year’s awards were also presented, including the APACRS Certified Educator (A.C.E.) award to Jeewan Singh Titiyal, India, and Sri Ganesh, MD , Bangalore, India; the APACRS Gold Medal to Mariam Ismail, MD , Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and the APACRS LIM Lecture to Pannet Pangputhipong, MD , Bangkok, Thailand. 25 years of phaco strategies explored in APACRS LIM Lecture Pannet Pangputhipong, MD , Bangkok, Thailand, presented the 2015 APACRS LIM Lecture on Thursday morning, entitled “Learning and Teaching Phacoemulsification: From Day 1 to Day 8,760.” In his lecture, Dr. Pangputhipong described his journey from phaco novice to expert and outlined the techniques he has mastered—and invented—to deal with complicated cataract cases. Dr. Pangputhipong highlighted the cataract extraction techniques he has learned and taught as the field has evolved from intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE) to ECCE to phaco and finally to femtosecond laser-assisted surgery over the past 25 years—and showed how he plans to continue learning and teaching beyond day 8,760. Cataract surgeons in Thailand are plagued by several challenges, Dr. Pangputhipong said. The nature of cataracts in the region is different than in other areas of the world—the patients he sees most often have hard, white, mature, or brunescent cataracts that are difficult to operate on. In addition, in the early days of phaco, the techniques and technologies available to Thai surgeons were not as developed as those available elsewhere and the training was severely limited. Because of these difficulties, Dr. Pangputhipong became an expert in nuclear disassembly methods and managing complicated cases. He has since imparted the wisdom of 25 years of phaco experience to the next generation of ophthalmologists in the Asia- Pacific region. The first strategy he mastered was bevel-down grooving, which is particularly useful for cases of hard nuclei and loose zonules. With the bevel down, he explained, continued on page 58