Eyeworld

Reporting from the 30th APACRS Annual Meeting, June 1–3, 2017, Hangzhou, China EW MEETING REPORTER 80 July 2017 & Congress in Los Angeles and the specific APACRS symposia and in- structional courses at that meeting. The mission of APACRS is to provide a forum for education, re- search, and skills transfer in anterior segment surgery, Dr. Yeoh said, also stressing the importance of teaching. "In teaching, we learn," he said. "I wish all of you a wonderful meeting in the great city of Hangzhou." Awards were presented during this session, including the APACRS Certified Educator awards to Suhas Haldipurkar, MD, Pune, India, and Zhang Jin Song, MD, Shen- yang, China. Liu Yi-zhi, MD, PhD, Guangzhou, China, received the APACRS Gold Medal. "Phaco vs. Femto: Friend vs. Foe?" This year's APACRS LIM Lecture was given by Chee Soon Phaik, MD, Singapore, on the topic of "Phaco vs. Femto: Friend vs. Foe?" The femtosecond laser generates plasma formation, Dr. Chee said. It results in a shock wave and bubble formation, and the bubble expands and collapses, separating tissues. Use of the femtosecond laser, she said, is hotly debated in relation to its cost effectiveness, significant learning curve, and what is perceived to be industry-driven technology. World- wide, there have been more than 1 million laser procedures performed, more than 1,000 laser platforms installed, and thousands of surgeons trained on the technology. Dr. Chee described different meta-analyses and studies, looking at factors such as efficacy of the cap- sulotomy, strength of the capsuloto- my, refractive outcomes, visual acu- ity, toric and multifocal IOLs, safety with corneal incisions, laser arcuate incisions, endothelial cell count and ultrasound exposure, intraopera- tive complications, prostaglandin release, inflammation, posterior cap- sule opacification, posterior capsule rupture, and the learning curve. Dr. Chee went on to discuss using the femtosecond laser in challenging cases. "The true value of femto may be more evident in the management of complex cataracts," she said. of the meeting, gave a welcome address. The theme of the meeting, "Crossroads … Finding the Right Path," will focus on challenges and new techniques in cataract and refractive surgery. The top ophthal- mologists will be talking about im- proving clinical practice and getting better diagnostic results for patients, Dr. Yao said. Dr. Yao thanked the organiz- ing committee, staff, and sponsors, and encouraged attendees to enjoy the scientific program. Everyone can bring home an abundance of academic information and memories of the charming city of Hangzhou, he said. Rao Keqin, MD, vice president and secretary general of the Chinese Medical Association, Beijing, China, gave a welcome address in Chinese. His address touched on medical and ophthalmology societies in China and the contributions they make to the country as a whole, as well as collaboration with other organiza- tions, including APACRS. Ronald Yeoh, MD, Singapore, APACRS president, also addressed at- tendees. There are so many meetings all over the world today, he said. So what is the relevance of the APACRS meeting in 2017? The Asia-Pacific region rep- resents about a quarter of the world, but Asia has half of the world's pop- ulation, from some of the smallest countries, like Singapore, to some of the largest countries, like China and India. This means there is a large amount of cataract and refractive surgery our doctors need to do, Dr. Yeoh said. The challenge, he added, is that Asia is a diverse continent. APACRS has a carefully curated scientific program that is tailored to and relevant to all doctors in the Asia-Pacific. It includes important practice information, top-rated fac- ulty from around the world, a small number of high quality MasterClass- es, and a compact program over 3 full days. Dr. Yeoh discussed what APACRS has done in the past year, beginning with a successful meeting in 2016 in Bali. He highlighted the partici- pation of APACRS as a co-sponsor at the 2017 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium intervention; there was a higher incidence of posterior synechiae in eyes with primary IOL implanta- tion; and primary IOL implantation achieved faster visual rehabilitation. In the end, Dr. Vasavada said this trial showed the safety and efficacy of primary IOL implantation after bilateral congenital cataract surgery. Dr. Vasavada, later in his presentation, discussed posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhex- is with and without vitrectomy. But can we avoid vitrectomy altogether using optic capture? he asked later. Dr. Vasavada described studies that found IOL optic capture without vit- rectomy is not significantly different in terms of visual axis obscuration and inflammatory response com- pared to in-the-bag IOL fixation. Dr. Vasavada briefly mentioned FLACS. While Dr. Yan said the benefit of the femtosecond laser in pediatric cataract surgery remains unclear, Dr. Vasavada said he finds it a helpful tool for making both the anterior and posterior capsulorhexis. However, Dr. Vasavada said money becomes an issue, due to the patient needing to be docked twice. Dr. Malyugin described the diffi- culty that can come with poor pupil dilation in cataract surgery and the techniques available to assist in pupil dilation. These included intra- cameral mydriatic agents, stretch- ing the iris, microsphincterotomy, pupillary membranectomy, using mechanical pupil expanders, and more. As for pupil expanders, these include iris hooks and devices like the Malyugin ring. Dr. Malyugin, for whom the device is named, said there are reports of it being helpful in pediatric cataract surgery cases. "The good thing with this device is it is holding the iris at eight retaining points. That's why the pupil is round," he said. What's more, it poses minimal risk of pupil damage, Dr. Malyugin added. APACRS opening ceremony celebrates 30 years The 30th APACRS Annual Meeting officially kicked off with its opening ceremony. Yao Ke, MD, Hangzhou, China, the organizing chairman

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