Renowned ophthalmologists from around the world recently gathered in Kuala Lumpur on the 17th & 18th of September 2022 to discuss prevention, education and management of eye and periocular injuries. The conference was attended by 622 ophthalmologists and allied health care workers over the 2-day conference held at the Connexion Conference & Event Centre, Kuala Lumpur. The conference saw a large turnout consisting of 544 local and 78 international participants with special interest in the field of ophthalmic trauma.
Ophthalmic trauma comprises of injuries of the eyeball and adjacent structures such as the eyelids, tear ducts, eye sockets, and the face. These injuries can be blinding, disfiguring and cause immense morbidity to affected individuals thus affecting their productivity and livelihood.
This meeting, chaired by Professor Dr Norlina Ramli (Head of Ophthalmology Department, Universiti Malaya) and Professor Dr S Natarajan (President of the Asia Pacific Ophthalmic Trauma Society, APOTS), brought together prominent leaders in ophthalmic trauma from around the globe which included Associate Professor Dr Fasika Woreta (President of the American Society of Ophthalmic Trauma, ASOT), Professor Dr Ma Zhizong (Chinese representative of the International Society of Ocular Trauma, ISOT), Professor Dr Ashok Grover (President of the Ocular Trauma Society of India, OTSI) and Datuk Dr Nor Fariza Ngah (Head of Ophthalmology Services, Ministry of Health of Malaysia).
International ophthalmologists attending the conference came from 15 countries, namely India, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, United States of America, Australia, Brunei, China, Chile, Turkey, Congo, Bangladesh, Philippines, Iran and South Korea. Trainee and practicing ophthalmologists from both academic institutions and public hospitals across Malaysia participated in the conference as part of their on-going professional development, learning from international leaders in the field.
Jointly organized by the Universiti Malaya Dept of Ophthalmology, the Universiti Malaya Eye Research Centre (UMERC), and the Asia Pacific Ophthalmic Trauma Society (APOTS), the scientific program was put together by Associate Professor Dr Tengku Ain Kamalden and Professor Dr Nurliza Khaliddin from Universiti Malaya along with Dr Rupesh Agrawal, Secretary and Dr Gangadhara Sundar, Chairman Scientific Committee, APOTS bringing together experts and leaders from across the world along with national experts from various subspecialties and trainee postgraduates. There were 16 scientific sessions, 3 award lectures, 3 wet lab sessions and 1 instructional course with a total of 85 faculties, of which 44 were local and 41 were international. The fully booked hands-on training wet lab sessions were attended by 54 participants, and each received close supervision on techniques of repairing traumatic cornea on donor corneas, and traumatic eyelids on mock models.
A major highlight of the meeting was the recognition of 3 International experts in the field of Ophthalmology; Dr Kamala Devi Lingam from Malaysia, Dr Ashok Kumar Grover from India, and Dr Ma Hishon from China for their immense contributions to the field of Ophthalmology, Oculoplastic Surgery, Vitreoretinal Surgery and Ophthalmic Trauma. Another highlight of the conference was a video prepared by the patient and family of Consultant Ophthalmologist and Vitreoretinal Subspecialist Dato’ Dr Halina Mohd Ali who is based in Kedah.
To encourage awareness and interest in ophthalmic trauma among trainees, a trauma-themed quiz was held as the climax ending to the conference. A total of 33 local and international trainees took part in the exciting and highly anticipated session, which was won by the 3-member ‘Victorem’ team from Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. To encourage research in the field of ophthalmic trauma, participants were encouraged to submit their work in the field of ophthalmic trauma to be presented as free papers or posters.
The conference concluded with numerous Malaysian and International Ophthalmologists and Allied Health Professionals joining the Society pledging to further improve the prompt and accurate diagnosis, with better management with a goal of preventing most of these injuries. The proceedings of the conference are published in the prestigious Malaysian Journal of Ophthalmology (https://myjo.org/index.php/myjo/issue/view/18/21).