EyeWorld India June 2013 Issue

CULTIVATING EXCELLENCE During its annual meetings, the APACRS cultivates and promotes excellence by recognizing the outstanding work of ophthalmologists in the region, through various awards and distinctions including: the APACRS medal, honoring ophthalmologists in the region for outstanding contributions to the practice in terms of service, teaching, or research; the prestigious APACRS LIM Lecture, delivered by one ophthalmologist chosen each year to share their discoveries and innovations with their colleagues; and the APACRS Certified Educator (ACE) award, given through a program sponsored by Abbott Medical Optics, Alcon, and Bausch + Lomb, in close partnership with the Singapore National Eye Centre, established to recognize ophthalmologists who “have made significant contributions to train surgeons in the Asia-Pacific”. Over the years, the APACRS has worked in collaboration with the region’s most prominent local organizations—discovering pearls all over the region. The upcoming 26th APACRS Annual Meeting will run from 11 to 14 July 2013 in Singapore. As always, the APACRS brings together ophthalmologists and ophthalmic surgeons from all over the region, collaborating closely with experts from other parts of the world to serve the cataract and refractive surgery needs of over half the world’s population. The society also maintains a website at www.apacrs.org . The website provides a resource accessible to members wherever they may be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering weekly news, important announcements, as well as a convenient biometry calculator utilizing Prof. Barrett’s own ‘True-K, Universal and Toric Formulae.’ The society has also produced the Principles of Preferred Practice series of handbooks. Authored by distinguished anterior segment ophthalmic surgeons from the Asia-Pacific, the series was designed to provide guidelines that are based on the latest medical evidence and expert opinion, geared specifically for ophthalmologists and surgeons practicing in the region. CENTERPIECE The centerpiece of the society’s activities is its annual meeting. The APACRS annual meeting, held in different countries in the Asia-Pacific region, has become the most important regional meeting for cataract and refractive surgery. Doctors from all over the region are joined by renowned international speakers, delegates from other parts of the world who contribute to making the meeting one of the most important educational events in the ophthalmological calendar. The scope of the meeting, with attendees coming from all over the world, also makes the meeting a great opportunity to meet new colleagues and renew friendships.