EyeWorld Asia-Pacific December 2020 Issue

EWAP DECEMBER 2020 3 EDITORIAL Graham Barrett Chief Medical Editor EyeWorld Asia-Pacific EyeWorld Asia-Pacific • December 2020. Vol 16 No. 4 A s the end of the year draws near it is interesting to reflect how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives in 2020. Obviously, the greatest concern has been the health of family, friends, and professional colleagues, but also the disruption of the work place, which includes our own practices. This has varied in different countries and overall the impact has been well- contained in the Asia-Pacific region compared to other regions. We have all become accustomed to our annual meetings as a wonderful forum for sharing information and friendship and this too has been disrupted in 2020. Nevertheless, we have continued to fulfil our mandate of education and training as well as skills transfer through the medium of this journal as well as virtual communication. It is fitting that we headline this issue with a synopsis of our first virtual webinar, which took place on 13 August 2020. Those who were able to join us had the opportunity to catch up on content in this issue and it is even helpful to those who did attend to have record of the information that was imparted during the webinar. The virtual conference/webinar initiative has continued and we have followed with further successful online communications and will do so in the coming year. Hopefully, with the availability of vaccines on the horizon, we will be able to hold next year’s annual meeting in person or at least a hybrid version with both in-person events and virtual attendance. Rather than comment on any individual aspect of the current issue, I would like to thank all who support APACRS as well as this new journal and have extended that support and participation to the online format. I hope that you and your families take care and wish you good health for the coming year. I feel confident that we will be able to transcend these changes and continue to share our commitment to education and friendship in the New Year. EWAP & HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021 CHRISTMAS