The APACRS 2024 program kept its foot on the gas through Day 2. From the Opening Ceremony and Lim Lecture through to this year’s film festival, there was action from start to finish in Chengdu—and we were there to cover it all.
It was show time here on Day 2 in Chengdu, and the 36th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS 2024) marches on.
The crowds shuffling through the halls have swelled significantly since the predominantly Chinese-language sessions of Day 1, with delegates from far and wide embracing the good vibes at the Asia-Pacific region’s premier event in the cataract and refractive subspecialty.
The scientific program also hit its full stride on Day 2, with award lectures, poster awards and surgical and technological innovation aplenty on display.
Early birds were in for a treat with an early-morning International Intraocular Implant Club (IIIC) Symposium, entitled Perfect Save. Ophthalmic titans like Dr. David Chang (USA), Prof. Thomas Kohnen (Germany) and Dr. Boris Malyugin (Russia) and more presented on a variety of challenging cases and innovative solutions from around the cataract realm, and a host of young ophthalmologists looking to learn from the greats were there to soak it all in.
The Opening Ceremony and Lim Lecture was next, where the conference was officially convened with a roll call of the APACRS’ affiliated societies, with representatives of the cataract and refractive societies of Greater Asia joined by American (ASCRS) and European (ESCRS) colleagues.
Awards were then presented to a host of deserving honorees. This year’s awardees:
APACRS CERTIFIED EDUCATORS (A.C.E.)
Given to exceptional surgeons committed to skills transfer and disseminating the latest in ophthalmic knowledge to their peers in the Asia Pacific region.
- Dr. Patrick Versace (Australia)
- Prof. Wang Yan (China)
- Dr. Xu Wen (China)
APACRS GOLD MEDAL
Awarded to exceptional ophthalmologists for their outsized contributions to the development of eye care—and especially cataract and refractive surgery—in the region
- Prof. Bi Hongsheng (China)
The prestigious Lim Lecture this year was awarded to Dr. Shin Yamane (Japan). If that name rings a bell—yes, it’s THAT Yamane, of Yamane technique fame—who spoke on the fascinating history of the technique, the contributions that made it what it is, and how it’s evolving. This was one of our highlight sessions today, so read more here.
After the coffee and tea break, we caught up with myopia expert Dr. Li Lian Foo (Singapore), who was on set for our MICE TV APACRS 2024 coverage with Matt Young (CEO, Media MICE). We’ll be featuring some of the ePoster awardees from this year’s Annual Meeting in our customary video round-up, and Dr. Foo brought along her runner-up award in the “General” category for her poster Factors Influencing Myopia Stabilization in Young Myopic Adult Singaporeans.
A poster on myopia winning one of the top accolades at a cataract and refractive meeting only reinforces the shockwaves being sent through the ophthalmic world by rising myopia rates. Much ado has been made thus far of how to control and manage myopic children, but Dr. Foo and her team’s award-winning work dealt with a key question: What to do as the children of the myopia epidemic come of age?
Among the array of critical findings packed into her poster, Dr. Foo found that 5 in 6 adolescents and young adults in Singapore had their myopia stabilized (<1.00D of progression over 10 years). This signals a significant achievement for myopia specialists like Dr. Foo. Her team also believes that the time may be now to start looking into when early termination of myopia control treatment makes sense.
After a quick bite of delectable chuancai (Sichuan cuisine) for lunch, it was back to the action for our second highlight session, A Break in the Clouds—Cataract & Complications. This rapid-fire symposium featured APACRS Immediate Past President Dr. Abhay Vasavada (India) and more giving their top tips for surgical success, from the pragmatically concrete to the philosophical. Click here for the full write-up now!
A lightning-fast turn-around and a frantic reshuffling of seats heralded Day 2’s last breath, the mega-popular APACRS 2024 Film Festival. From inspiring tales of triumph to technological advancements that promise to leave an indelible mark on the future of cataract and refractive surgery, this year’s Festival had it all. For the full list of winners and video summaries, mosey on over to our article now.
Well, it’s been quite the day here in Chengdu, and tomorrow’s finale Day 3 is already shaping up to send this Annual Meeting out in style. Until then, be well and don’t forget to join us for our final day of reporting here in China.
Editor’s Note: Reporting for this event took place during the 36th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (APACRS 2024), held from May 30 to June 1, 2024 in Chengdu, China. The 36th APACRS annual meeting is jointly organized with the 24th CSCRS (Chinese Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery) annual meeting.