EWAP SEPTEMBER 2022 3 EDITORIAL Graham Barrett Chief Medical Editor EyeWorld Ƃsia*acific • China • Korea • India EyeWorld Asia-Pacific • September 2022 • Vol. 18 No. 3 T he past few years have been challenging with restricted travel and the inability to hold an in-person APACRS meeting for the past 2 years. Although we have held very successful virtual meetings and have provided comprehensive online seminars, nothing can replace the atmosphere and intense learning experience of getting together as friends and colleagues in the same venue. So it was with some trepidation that we committed to our in-person 34th APACRS meeting held in conjunction with the KSCRS in June this year in Seoul. Despite the inability of some countries to join us, we had over 1,000 attendees in Seoul and a vibrant enjoyable meeting. The standard of presentations was excellent. The MasterClasses were full of enthusiastic attendees who were able to hear the latest from leading experts in their respective fields. The CSCRS symposium on extended depth of focus IOLs was particularly valuable. The term extended depth of focus is applied to many different technologies; different optical technologies are grouped within this family but each lens has its own unique characteristics. There is always a trade-off on the amount of additional reading offered by these lenses, while maintaining quality of vision. Generally, these lenses are enhanced by combining a modest level of myopia if the patient requires additional spectacle independence. Although diffractive trifocals still provide a greater likelihood of total spectacle independence, the reduced unwanted dysphotopsia such as halos and glare offered by all the technologies make this category a welcome addition for ophthalmic surgeons in their endeavor to provide greater spectacle independence while maintaining quality of vision. It appears that extended depth of focus and monofocal plus lenses will become increasingly popular as they provide excellent intermediate vision as well as some functional reading ability compared to monofocal lenses. The recent annual meeting in Korea truly has marked a new dawn for APACRS, its attendees, and the ophthalmologists who attend from all around our region. Hopeful that as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, our enthusiasm for travel is renewed. We have begun planning for and look forward to your participation in next year’s annual meeting to be held in Singapore from 8 to 10 June 2023.
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