Final program | 33rd APACRS – SNEC 30th Anninversary Virtual Meeting

WELCOME MESSAGE Vivian BALAKRISHNAN Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore Honorary Senior Consultant Singapore National Eye Centre It is an honour to attend the 33 rd APACRS Annual Meeting and SNEC 30 th Anniversary virtual meeting. As an ophthalmologist myself, I am delighted that the APACRS and SNEC are jointly hosting a major eye conference online from Singapore in the midst of challenging and difficult circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the APACRS and the SNEC were founded by the late Prof. Arthur Lim more than 30 years ago. He was a luminary and visionary in ophthalmology who devoted his time, skills, talent and networks to elevate ophthalmology decisively in this region. Many of us here today and many more of our patients are the direct and indirect beneficiaries of this man’s vision, passion, generosity and commitment to making the development of ophthalmology in Asia second to none in the world. His vision still inspires the mission of APACRS and SNEC today. He saw the APACRS as the transnational organization that brings the latest developments in cataract and refractive surgery to ophthalmologists in the Asia-Pacific region. With more than half the world’s population in Asia, it is crucial that the APACRS works hand in hand with the various cataract and refractive surgery societies in Asia to spear head the continuing education needs of ophthalmologists. Under the leadership of Arthur Lim, Graham Barrett, Ronald Yeoh, Hiroko Bissen-Miyajima, and Abhay Vasavada, the APACRS has grown in strength and stature and its annual meeting is now a major event in the ophthalmic conference calendar with a strong scientific program attracting the best speakers from around the world. Prof. Arthur Lim founded the SNEC in 1990 with the vision of it becoming a leader not only in clinical services, but also in research and education. Thirty years later, SNEC is renowned not only for the excellence and breadth of its clinical services, but also its groundbreaking research and top notch educational activities. The subsequent Directors of SNEC, Ang Chong Lye, Donald Tan, and Wong Tien Yin have stayed true to this vision and have led SNEC to its ascendance as one of the top eye centers in the world. Arthur Lim would have been very proud to see what the APACRS and SNEC have grown into and achieved today. He would have been even happier to see that his two most important professional legacies have worked together to organize this joint meeting. But he would also not allow us to rest on our laurels. I can easily imagine him urging us to do more even faster! My congratulations to the APACRS and SNEC for hosting this successful joint meeting. Finally, a very special word of congratulations to SNEC for celebrating its 30 th anniversary and my best wishes to all the attendees for a fruitful, educational, and enjoyable virtual conference. 5