Assoc. Professor Nguyen Quoc Dat is currently the Director of Da Nang Eye Hospital, council member of Vietnam Ophthalmology Society, in charge of managing ophthalmology department for 9 provinces in South Central Vietnam and Tay Nguyen. Dr. Dat is one of the best and most famous ophthalmologists in Da Nang, Vietnam, who is trusted and chosen by a large number of patients for eye examination and treatment. Dr. Dat’s sub-specialities and clinical experience include community ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, cornea, glaucoma, refractive and ophthalmic laser. He is one of the leading experts in phacoemulsification surgery in Vietnam. Dr. Dat graduated from Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1986 and then went on to complete the PhD of ophthalmology program at Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1992 and a degree in ophthalmology at the University of London, United Kingdom, in 1996. After that, he continued to complete his fellowship program at Hanoi Medical University in 2001, received his PhD in Medicine in ophthalmology in 2006 and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2017. He is not only a good leader but also an excellent ophthalmologist. Furthermore, he is a visiting lecturer at Hue University, Da Nang University, and has directly trained hundreds of surgeons in cataract, laser and other surgeries. Many of his research works have been published in well known medical journals.

Prof. Oliver Findl, is a professor of ophthalmology and chairs the Department of Ophthalmology at the Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria. He founded and heads the Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery (VIROS). Prof. Findl’s research fellowship at Children’s Hospital in Boston was followed by residency and an anterior segment surgery fellowship at the Medical University of Vienna. He was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK, for several years. His research interests are in the fields of optical biometry, presbyopia correcting IOLs, posterior capsule opacification and the pathogenesis of myopia. Dr. Findl has authored over 350 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and is currently the president of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) as well as the treasurer of the Austrian Ophthalmological Society.

Prof. Jodhbir S. Mehta is the executive director and head of the Tissue Engineering and Cell Group at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), head of Cornea External Disease and senior consultant in the Refractive Service at Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), deputy executive director at Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), as well as a full tenured professor with Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. With a main interest in corneal transplantation, he completed a corneal external disease and refractive fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and at SNEC. He has co-authored nearly 20 textbooks and 333 citations, and holds 16 patents, six of which have been licensed. Prof. Mehta has won several awards from the AAO and ARVO, among others, the latest of which was from the ASCRS in 2018. Prof. Mehta is also a favorite keynote speaker and presenter in several international conferences.

Prof. Dr. S. Natarajan is the chairman and managing director of Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital. He is also the managing trustee of Aditya Jyot Foundation for Twinkling Little Eyes in Mumbai, India. Prof. Dr. Natarajan is a third generation ophthalmologist in India. His late father, Prof. Dr. N. S. Sundaram and grandfather, Dr. Nataraja Pillai, were respected ophthalmologists in Tamil Nadu, India. At present, Prof. Dr. S. Natarajan is considered a global authority in vitreoretinal surgery and is keenly involved in academics and research for the prevention of blindness. He is a multi-award-winning ophthalmologist who has performed over 27,000 exclusive vitreoretinal surgeries in the past 33 years, and trained 64 vitreo-retinal surgeons across the globe. He is a visiting professor in the Maimonides University (Argentina), University of Lugano (Switzerland), Balaji Medical College (Chennai, India), and Saveetha Medical University (Chennai, India). Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital was established in 1990 by Prof. D. S. Natarajan in Dadar, and has expanded into a hospital in Wadala, in the heart of Central Mumbai.

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Ngan is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Chairman of the Ophthalmology Department of Vietnam Military Medical University in Hanoi, Vietnam and also a Vice President of the Vietnam Ophthalmological Society. He obtained his MD at the Vietnam Military Medical University and his PhD at Hanoi Medical University (Hanoi, Vietnam). Dr. Ngan specializes in corneal and ocular surface disease in Ophthalmology. He is a well published author of peer-reviewed papers, not only in Vietnam but also worldwide; and a favorite speaker in both national and international ophthalmic conferences.

Dr. Paisan Ruamviboonsuk is a clinical professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, Rajavithi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. He is a respected key opinion leader in Asia-Pacific and has held many important leadership positions in various ophthalmic societies in the region. This includes being the scientific secretary of the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-Retina Society (APVRS), council member of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) and secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Ophthalmology Society (AOS). Dr. Ruamviboonsuk was the congress president of the 34th APAO Congress (Bangkok, 2019) and the 10th APVRS Congress (Bangkok, 2016). He was the president of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists of Thailand from 2013 to 2016.

Dr. Kenneth Fong is recognized as an ophthalmologist in the United Kingdom, Australia and Malaysia. He graduated with a medical degree from the University of Cambridge in 1998 and trained to be an eye surgeon in London. Dr. Fong then spent two more years training in the U.K. and at the Royal Perth Hospital in Australia to subspecialize in retina. After 18 years of working in the U.K. and Australia, he returned to Malaysia in 2009 to serve as associate professor, consultant ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. He is currently the managing director of OasisEye Specialists in Kuala Lumpur. Dr. Fong is the president of the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology and serves as a council member for the APVRS.

Mr. Matt Young is Founder & CEO of Media MICE. People also know him as ‘The Funky Outfit Guy’ for his penchant for wearing visually sensational blazers and outfits. He’s spent nearly 20 years in eye care and lived in Asia-Pacific for 16 years, working to build media, marketing and conference businesses along the way. Media MICE was started in 2009 in Singapore, and now has a branch office in Da Nang, Vietnam. Today, it has a database of 70,000 ophthalmologists worldwide, and more than 12,000 optometrists and opticians. Media MICE has been the official media partner of the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC), the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS), the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit (OIS), and many others. Media MICE also owns an eye care conference, the CAKE & PIE Expo, and has many high-level partnerships worldwide like He Vision which translates all of its magazines (PIE, CAKE and COOKIE) into Mandarin and distributes to 20,000 eye care professionals in China. Media MICE also partners with Ofthalmo University to distribute 14,000+ copies of its digital magazines to the university’s Latin America database. The company’s social media group uses Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, Twitter and WhatsApp to post its unique content both in these channels as well as in eye care interest groups worldwide. Underpinning all of Media MICE’s eye care media, is a separate division: A uniquely talented eye care creative agency, which combines the resources of Asia with the ability to communicate in eye care globally. Mr. Young also is on the Board of Directors at Orbis Singapore, which is on a mission to fight avoidable blindness.

Dr. Do Tan is the Chief of Glaucoma Department at the Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology. He is a practicing ophthalmologist for 16 years now with a subspeciality in glaucoma and intraocular infection. He is also highly experienced in using various types of laser procedures in ophthalmology: ALT, SLT, laser peripheral iridotomy, trans-scleral cyclodestruction and laser iridoplasty. During his clinical practice, he has performed 10,000 phacos, 3,000 trabeculectomies, nearly 1,000 deep sclerotomies, 500 scleral buckling and 2,000 vitrectomies for malignant glaucoma, retinal detachment (RD) and endophthalmitis. Dr. Tan is an expert in using quick-chop technique for hard and very hard cataracts and in performing endoscopy assisted vitrectomy for malignant glaucoma, intraocular infection and retinal detachment. He is the vice president of the Vietnam Glaucoma Society and is a board member of Vietnam Retina Society, Asian Angle Closure Glaucoma Club and the Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society. Dr. Tan is a well published author of peer-reviewed papers in international journals. He is also a well known speaker in both national and international ophthalmic conferences.

Dr. Carmen Abesamis-Dichoso received her Doctor of Optometry from the Central Colleges of the Philippines in 1989, and earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from the Central Colleges of the Philippines in 2001. Her specialties include special contact lens design for keratoconus, children and high astigmatism; and visual assessment of the mentally challenged, autistic, ADHD, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. In addition, Dr. Abesamis-Dichoso has been an orthokeratology practitioner in the Philippines since 2005. Since 1998, she has been self-employed in a private practice at Medical Plaza Makati. She was awarded Outstanding Optometrist of the Year in 2017 by the Optometric Association of the Philippines. Currently, Dr. Abesamis-Dichoso serves as the International Affairs Committee chair of the Optometric Association of the Philippines; director of the Special Olympics Opening Eyes in the Philippines; program manager of Optometric Association of the Philippines Vision Screening Program and provision of eyeglasses with the United Nations Development Program in 10 areas and four Regions in the Philippines; and chairperson of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Program in the Philippines.

Dr. Abesamis-Dichoso is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry; a founding fellow at the Philippine College of Optometrists; a fellow of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators; an Asia-Pacific Regional advisor for the Special Olympics Opening Eyes; treasurer at the Asia-Pacific Council of Optometry; and is an Asia-Pacific Council of Optometry (APCO) representative for the World Council of Optometry, in addition to being a member of the Legislation, Registration and Standards Committee. She has also authored numerous published papers and is a popular lecturer at industry meetings.

Dr. Alan Glazier is the founder and visionary behind ODs on Facebook – the eye care industry’s largest and most highly engaged eye care organization online (or offline), with over 45,000 members. He is the founder of Shady Grove Eye & Vision Care in Rockville, Maryland (USA) and a partner/business development executive in Keplr Vision (Illinois, USA). In  2011 and 2012, VisionMonday.org has selected Dr. Glazier as one of the most influential optometrists in the United Sates. In 2015 he was selected by his peers as one of the 50 most influential optometrists. In 2016 he was selected by PCON Magazine as one of the 250 Innovators in Optometry. Furthermore, in 2017 he was honored as Maryland Optometrist of the Year. In 2021 he was #2 on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Eye Doctors and in the same year he was presented with the American Optometric Association’s Social Media Advocacy Award. Dr. Glazier is the inventor on seven issued patents in computer science and ophthalmology. He has presented over 100 invited lectures on clinical and practice management topics, and has authored two books and numerous journal articles. Dr. Glazier has been Interviewed by CNN, NBC, CBS, Entrepreneur Magazine, INC Magazine, Blog Talk Radio and Network Solutions.

Dr. Sheetal Brar is a senior consultant at Phaco and Refractive Department and research director at Nethradhama Super Speciality Eye Hospital in Bangalore, India. Dr. Brar has a special interest in cataract and refractive surgery and has trained over 75 national and international surgeons in refractive surgery, including SMILE. She has participated in over 70 master classes and instruction courses and performed live SMILE and phacoemulsification surgeries. Dr. Brar has over 40 publications in national and international peer-reviewed indexed journals and served as a peer reviewer for JRS, Cornea, BMC Ophthalmology, Open Journal of Ophthalmology and Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. She has received several prestigious accolades, including being the recipient of the “Young Physician” exchange program grant by the APACRS 2017 and APACRS Certified Educator(ACE) award at the APACRS 2019 in Kyoto, Japan.

Dr. Kristie Nguyen is a board-certified optometrist. She currently serves as a contract doctor for Perez and Associates and Phan-Tastic Eye Care in Altamonte Springs, Florida, USA. After graduating in the top 10 of her high school class with honors, she went on to obtain her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston, Texas. While at U of H, she volunteered at a local hospital and worked as an optometric assistant. Dr. Nguyen obtained a Doctorate of Optometry (O.D.) in 2005 from Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She conducted her medical internships at the Chickasaw Nation Health Clinic in Ardmore, Oklahoma and the Lake Mary Eye Care in Lake Mary, Florida. Dr. Nguyen is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Florida Optometric Association, Young ODs of America, OD Divas, Optometry Divas and the Central Florida Optometric Society. In addition, she has been an executive board member for Optometry Divas for the past two years. She is also a brand ambassador for an independent eyewear brand called Kazoku Lunettes and director of business development for an online optical company called Optazoom. She is also an independent consultant for Rodan+Fields, which is a global clinically tested skincare brand. Dr. Nguyen is married and has two beautiful daughters. She enjoys going to the beach, hanging out at Disney, and reading.

Dr. Harvey S. Uy is a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of the Philippines, and medical director at the Peregrine Eye and Laser Institute in Makati, Philippines. He completed his fellowships at St. Luke’s Medical Center (Philippines) and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (USA). Dr. Uy is a pioneer in femtosecond cataract surgery, accommodation restoration by lens softening, modular intraocular lenses and intravitreal drugs. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and is on the editorial board of the American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports. He is a former president of the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology (PAO) and current council member of the APVRS.

Prof. Dr. Jorge Alio is a professor and chairman of ophthalmology at the University Miguel Hernandez in Alicante, Spain. He is also the founder of Vissum Corporation (Spain) and the Jorge Alió Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness. Prof. Alio is a high-volume surgeon in cataract, cornea and refractive surgery with over 55,000 surgeries performed. His main research interests include lens, refractive and corneal surgery. He is a pioneer in the area of multifocal, accommodative and toric IOLs, excimer laser refractive surgery, phakic IOLs and more recently, corneal regeneration surgery. He has authored over 935 peer review papers, 405 chapters and 99 books. He is extremely active in congresses in terms of lectures and master courses. Prof. Alio is the LXIII chair of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, XLIX chair of the European Academy of Ophthalmology, President of the ISRS/AAO (2006-2008) member of the American Ophthalmological Society, member of the Board of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and has received over 103 international and national awards. He is the creator and director of the online International Specialization Course in Refractive, Cornea and Lens Surgery (University Miguel Hernandez). Fellows from all over the world come to his research facilities to be trained under his supervision. 

Dr. Constance Okeke went to both undergraduate and medical school at the prestigious Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut (USA) where she won several awards for her academic achievements and research efforts. She then moved on to Baltimore, Maryland (SA), where she performed her residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Okeke pursued subspecialty fellowship training in glaucoma at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Among her many pioneering accomplishments in treating glaucoma and cataracts, she was the first in the Hampton Roads area to offer Trabectome, iStent, iStent Inject, Kahook Dual Blade, Visco360, Trab360  and the first in the country to combine Trabectome with femtosecond laser in cataract surgery. Dr. Okeke’s research and writing has been featured in many ophthalmology publications, and she serves as an editorial advisory board member for the Glaucoma Today, Glaucoma Physician, CollaborativeEye and Hampton Roads Physicians publications. Dr. Okeke joined Virginia Eye Consultants in July, 2009 and serves as the lead glaucoma specialist. She is also an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virgnia (USA). Dr. Okeke is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and a member of the American Glaucoma Society, Ophthalmic World Leaders (OWL), Women In Ophthalmology, National Medical Association, and ASCRS. 

Dr. Duong Nguyen Viet Huong is currently a Professional Advisor at Jio Health Vietnam. Dr. Huong is also a Lecturer in Ophthalmology at Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and currently works at the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital.

Dr. William B. Trattler is a refractive, corneal and cataract eye surgeon at the Center For Excellence In Eye Care in Miami, Florida, USA. He performs a wide variety of cataract and refractive surgeries, including PRK; all laser LASIK; no injection sutureless cataract surgery; as well as laser cataract surgery. He has been an investigator for next generation technologies (like the Tetraflex accommodating intraocular lens) and procedures like corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL). His involvement in the FDA-approval study for CXL led to its approval in 2016. In addition to his private practice, Dr. Trattler is on the Volunteer Faculty at the Florida International University Wertheim College of Medicine, as well as the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and has been an author of several articles and abstracts. In 2016, Dr. Trattler received the Catalyst Award in Advancing Diversity in Leadership from the Ophthalmic World Leaders (OWL), an association of interdisciplinary ophthalmic professionals dedicated to driving innovation and patient care by advancing diversity in leadership.

Dr. Daddi Fadel is a contact lens designer, a pioneer of modern lens designs, and a specialist in contact lenses for irregular cornea, scleral lenses, myopia control, and orthokeratology. She speaks five languages; Arabic, French, English, Italian, and Greek. She studied optometry at Istituto Superiore di Scienze Optometriche (ISSO) in Rome (1998-2001), a four-year course achieved in three years with honors.  Dr. Fadel has 20 years of experience in optometry and specialty contact lenses. She runs an optometric practice specializing in contact lenses in Italy where she personally designs and fits special customized contact lenses. Also, she is internationally recognized as a key opinion leader, who has several peer-reviewed publications in the area of specialty contact lenses and is a speaker in national and international symposia. Dr. Daddi Fadel, together with Dr. Melissa Barnett, are authors of the Clinical Guide for Scleral Lens Success. Also, Dr. Fadel is the author of the book Scleral Lens Complications: Their Recognition, Etiology, and Management and is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Contact Lens Research & Science (JCLRS).

Dr. Ben LaHood is an ophthalmologist specialising in laser refractive, cataract and anterior segment surgery. Ben is a globally recognised researcher, speaker and opinion leader on his key publication topics of astigmatism management, biometry and intraocular lens calculation. Dr LaHood is frequently invited to speak and present his research at international meetings. Ben practices in Adelaide at the private practice Ashford Advanced Eye Care, public at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital as well as being a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Adelaide.

Dr. Huy Tran, MD, PhD, is the head of Myopia Control Clinic at Hai Yen Eye Care in Ho Chi Minh City. He is working on myopia control-related projects and translational research in the field of myopia. Also, he is currently an Asia-Pacific Regional Ambassador of the International Myopia Institute (IMI) with the aim to raise awareness of myopia and the role of myopia control in the eye care community in Vietnam.

Dr. Li Lian Foo is a consultant ophthalmologist, subspecializing in the field of myopia (focusing on childhood myopia control), as well as refractive and cataract surgeries at Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and Myopia Centre of Excellence Singapore. In Singapore, she is the first ophthalmologist who has completed the myopia fellowship at SNEC. Dr. Foo also holds academic positions – she is a clinical instructor at DUKE-NUS Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, she leads the Myopia Program of SNEC Fellowship Coordination Committee and is a physician faculty member of Singhealth Ophthalmology Residency Program. Dr. Foo is actively involved in research and has published papers in various scientific journals in ophthalmology and myopia. She is a published book co-author and has been invited as speaker in multiple international conferences. Empowered by her engineering and medical background, Dr. Foo aspires to be an outstanding clinician innovator. She seeks to improve medical care through clinical innovations that bridge bench to bedside gap. Dr. Foo believes in synergizing evidence-based medicine and impactful translational research. Through the skills that she has developed, she aims to create the next generation of treatment modalities that can halt the relentless march of myopia.

Christopher E. Starr, MD, FACS, is an associate professor, director of ophthalmic education and director of the refractive surgery service, and former director of the residency and cornea fellowship programs, at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. After graduating from Brown University, he completed medical school with honors at Cornell University Medical College, followed by an ophthalmology residency at Harvard University and a fellowship in cornea, cataract & refractive surgery at Johns Hopkins University where he received a research award. As a prolific academician, he has authored hundreds of articles, papers and textbook chapters and has traveled the world as an invited lecturer and educator. He was honored as the Teacher of the Year in 2006 at New York University and was a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Georgetown University in 2019. He serves as a Global Ambassador to the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), was a subcommittee member of the highly influential TFOS Dry Eye Workshop II (DEWS II) and currently is Chair of the Public Awareness Subcommittee of the TFOS Ocular Surface Disease (OSD) Lifestyle Epidemic Workshop. He served several terms on the medical advisory board of the Eyebank for Sight Restoration and served a term as the Manhattan district representative of the New York State Ophthalmological Society. He served two terms on the Cornea Clinical Committee of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and chaired the preoperative OSD algorithm project culminating in the publication of one of the most influential papers on the subject. In 2022, Dr. Starr was awarded a position on The Ophthalmologist’s annual Power List honoring the world’s 100 most influential ophthalmologists. He has also been repeatedly honored as a “Best Doctor” by multiple organizations including New York Magazine, Castle Connolly America’s Top Doctors, Best Doctors in America, America’s Top Ophthalmologists, SuperDoctors, Premier Surgeon and many others. He serves on the editorial boards of several ophthalmic journals, is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, is a medical correspondent to CBS This Morning and is frequently interviewed by print, television and online media outlets.

Dr. Errol Chan is an ophthalmologist who specializes in cataract surgery, retinal diseases, and uveitis. He is a consultant ophthalmologist with the Singapore Medical Group, a multi-specialty private practice in Singapore. His practice interests include refractive cataract surgery to achieve spectacle independence, complex cataract and retinal detachment surgery, and the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases of the retina and vitreous. Dr. Chan completed his ophthalmology residency at the National University Hospital (NUH) in Singapore. He was awarded a scholarship by the Retina Foundation of Canada for a vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He has also pursued fellowships in vitreoretinal surgery, and in medical retina and uveitis, both at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, United Kingdom. Dr. Chan’s clinical research interests lie in the areas of retinal imaging, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. He has been an investigator in multi-center clinical trials investigating novel retinal therapeutics. He has also authored more than 40 articles in the most read/indexed ophthalmology publications and textbooks, and has been an invited speaker at international conferences and symposia. 

Dr. Ha Huy Thien Thanh, MD, is an ophthalmologist, cataract and oculoplastic surgeon at Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology. Dr. Thien Thanh specializes in oculoplastic and eyelid cosmetic surgery. After completing her residency in ophthalmology in Hanoi Medical School, she spent almost a decade working in cataract surgery, intraocular traumatic disorders and orbital pathology. Apart from hospital-based activities, she has had several occasions to work in the field of medical interpreting and was also trained in medical education and leadership. Dr. Thien Thanh has also been active in community eye health activities. At the moment, she is looking forward to extending her career as an oculoplastic expert and to step into the field of healthcare and hospital management.

Dr. Jay Chhablani is a vitreoretina specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Eye Center, Pittsburgh, USA. He completed a clinical vitreoretina fellowship from Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India and was an International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) fellow at Jules Gonin Eye Hospital, Switzerland, in 2009. He was a clinical instructor at the Jacobs Retina Center at Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, USA (2010-2012) before joining the faculty at L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India (2012-2019). His areas of interest are macular disorders and recent imaging techniques. He published more than 380 articles in peer-reviewed journals with a focus in the field of choroid. He is the editor of the book, Choroidal Disorders, Central Serous Chorioretinopathy and Choroidal Neovascularization. He is on the reviewing boards of all high impact journals including Science Translational Medicine. He is also on the editorial board of several journals including American Journal of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the Macula Society and also a member of various committees in international societies including American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). He has won several national and international awards and delivered the inaugural Ian Constable Lecture at Asia-Pacific Vitreo-Retina Society congress in 2016. He received the inaugural Namperumalsamy Young Researcher Award in 2018, presented by the Vitreo-Retina Society of India (VRSI).

Dr. Dagny Zhu is a nationally acclaimed, board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained specialist in cornea, cataract, and laser refractive surgery. As a key opinion leader in laser vision correction and premium cataract surgery, Dr. Zhu serves as medical advisor to multiple ophthalmic companies and has published, lectured, and been featured in over 200 scientific journal articles, book chapters, national conferences, and press features. Dr. Zhu graduated top of her class from UCLA and received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency at the prestigious Doheny Eye Institute/University of Southern California (USC) and completed her fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, consistently ranked the #1 eye hospital by U.S. News and World Report. Dr. Zhu was born in Shanghai, China and immigrated to the United States with her working-class parents at the age of 3. Described as a “gifted surgeon” by her mentors, Dr. Zhu elected to complete fellowship training in cornea and refractive surgery at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the #1 eye hospital in the world.

Dr. Ashraf Armia is a consultant cataract, cornea, refractive and anterior segment reconstruction surgeon in Giza, Egypt. He is the founder and medical director of Ashraf Armia Eye Clinic, founder of AOTOA (Armia’s Ophthalmology Training Observer-Ship Academy) and GERSO (Global Education and Research Society of Ophthalmology). Dr. Armia is also a shareholder of the Watany Eye Hospital (WEH) and Watany Research and Development Centre (WRDC) in Cairo, Egypt. He is a reviewer of the Journal Of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (JCRS) and BMC Ophthalmology Journal. Dr. Armia is a lecturer in major international ophthalmic and industry meeting, a member of industry advisory boards and a consultant to many companies.

Dr. Huynh Tan Phuc, an ophthalmologist, is currently the director of programs implementation – Asia at the Fred Hollows Foundation (www.hollows.org.au). He stepped into this role in 2020 from the previous post of regional programs director, leading the office and programs in the East Asia region, including the Foundation’s country programs in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines and Vietnam. Dr. Phuc holds a degree Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Medical University of Hue, Viet Nam graduating in 1988, and finishing his advanced training in ophthalmology in 1990. He worked for a Government Hospital as the chief of the eye department and joined World Vision Vietnam (WVV) for nine years beginning 1995 to manage health and area development projects as project manager. He also played a leading role as national health team leader of WVV from October 2001 to November 2003. As country manager of the Fred Hollows Foundation in Vietnam since December 2003, Dr. Phuc and his team has directly developed, designed and implemented many eye care programs/projects in different regions across the country. Under his leadership, FHF Vietnam has made significant contributions to the National Prevention of Blindness strategy, the Community Eye Health programs in 25 provinces, and ophthalmology academic training through strengthening institutional training capacity projects support to Medical Universities and Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology. With this great achievement, he has been appointed as The Foundation’s regional director for East Asia, and then Director of Programs Implementation – Asia. Since 2021, he has also held the post of Vietnam Cluster Director, directly managing Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Timor Leste and the Pacific, and is country representative of the Foundation in Vietnam. Dr. Phuc has a great deal of experience in project design, proposal development, project management and implementation, and advocacy. He has also gained a good reputation in the eye care community in Vietnam and internationally.

Prof. Dr. Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill is originally from Dublin, Ireland, where she obtained both her medical degree and PhD from Trinity College Dublin. As an undergraduate she won the Wellch Allyn prize for ophthalmology as well as the prestigious Duke Elder Undergraduate prize award by the Royal College of Ophthalmology in the UK. After clinical training, she moved to Belgium where she came third in the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) exam and was the first woman to pass the ESCRS-EBO cataract and refractive surgery subspecialist exam. She has co-authored over 100 articles and book chapters. Her main research focuses are translational anterior segment surgery and optics. She is particularly interested in the corneal endothelium, cell therapies, and pharmacological therapies as synthetic approaches. She is a board member of the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) where she works in the education and cornea committees as well as in digital health and the evaluation of research proposals. 

George H.H. Beiko, BM, BCh, FRCSC is a medical graduate of Oxford University and completed his ophthalmology specialty training at Queens University.  He is an associate clinical professor at McMaster University and a lecturer at the University of Toronto. Dr. Beiko has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and authored 16 book chapters.  He has been awarded 4 best papers of session at the ASCRS annual meeting, Winning Video in Cataract Implant Surgery in the ASCRS Film Festival, 5 video awards in team competitions, Best Poster Award at AAO, Best Paper of Session (Cataract) at APAO-AAO Joint Meeting and the Best Original Paper in Cataract Surgery at AAO. He is on the review panel or editorial board of over 30 ophthalmology journals. His honors include being elected to membership in the IIIC, named one of the “Premier Surgeons” of North America and made an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, by Her Majesty The Queen of England. He was honored on 3 occasions with the Gold Medal by the IIIRS, an Achievement award and a Senior Achievement award by the AAO, an Achievement Award by the APAO, the Presidential Award of the ISRS and the Boberg-Ans Award of the Danish Ophthalmological Society.

Dr. Tran Nguyen Minh Nhat is one of the young, talented doctors currently working at Da Nang Eye Hospital. He graduated as a general practitioner from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy-Hue University and then graduated with a master’s degree in ophthalmology from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City before working at Da Nang Eye Hospital. As a dynamic young doctor, he is always actively researching many new methods and technologies to put into practice and bring the best results to patients.

Dr. Cathleen McCabe serves as chief medical officer at Eye Health America^™. She is one of the foremost eye surgeons today, specializing in complex and premium cataract and refractive surgery at The Eye Associates in Sarasota, Florida. She has a keen interest in advancing the field of ophthalmology and has participated in numerous clinical trials, including innovations in intraocular lenses, perioperative medications, medications and devices to treat glaucoma, dry eye treatments and presbyopia correction. Dr. McCabe continues to receive many prestigious and esteemed awards for her work in Ophthalmology, including being named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor – 2015 to 2022 for Ophthalmology, among other equally prestigious awards under her name. Castle Connolly also selected her for the first-ever Exceptional Women in Medicine Award for 2017 to 2022. Furthermore, Dr. McCabe has leadership roles and positions in various societies and international organizations. More importantly, she is passionate about giving back to her local community, her profession and globally and participates in charitable giving and volunteer efforts both at home and abroad.  She is a board member of several charitable foundations in ophthalmology, including One World Global Health/Sight for Life, OOSS Gives, and others. She continues to share her expertise by publishing articles and book chapters as well as lecturing at national and international ophthalmological seminars.

Dr. Jose A. Roca is a professor of ophthalmology at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peru) and at the Universidad Nacional federico Villarreal (Peru). He is a holder of a master in medicine degree and has obtained his fellowship at Universidad de Chile (Chile) and Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA (USA). Dr. Roca has held many leadership positions in various ophthalmic societies in Latin America, including being the past-president of both the Pan-American Retina and Vitreous Society and the Peruvian Society of Ophthalmology. He was also the president of the organizing committee of the XXXIII Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, was the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Board Member International Advisor from 2011 to 2012, and was an Internal Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) Board Member from 2011 and 2012. Dr. Roca has received achievement awards from both the AAO and the American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS). Furthermore, he is a member of the prestigious Club Jules Gonin and the Retina Hall of Fame. Dr. Roca has published more than 40 papers in various peer-reviewed journals. 

Dr. Sanushka Moodley is a general ophthalmologist in full-time private practice at Pretoria Eye Institute in South Africa. She manages glaucoma, cornea, medical and surgical retina and cataract patients. Dr. Moodley is the current chairperson of South Africa’s Young Ophthalmologists’ Society, a position she has held since 2019. In 2022, she became the founding president of the Ophthalmic Trauma Society of South Africa.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen belongs to the second batch of optometry graduates at Hanoi Medical University (HMU), the oldest and largest medical university of Vietnam. After graduation, she was one of the top students chosen to be lecturer apprentice in the university’s ophthalmology department. Ms. Nguyen is currently working as a myopia control specialist at Fifth Sense Eye Center (FSEC) and Hanoi Medical University Hospital’s Academic Vision Center. She is loved by everyone because of her enthusiasm, passion and sympathy. Although she is still very young, she has worked with thousands of children in pediatric eye care and myopia control.

Dr. Emilio A. Torres-Netto is a cornea, cataract and refractive surgeon trained in Brazil, USA, France and Switzerland, who is engaged in the development of innovative approaches for keratoconus, cross-linking and refractive surgeries at the ELZA Institute and University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Dr. I. Paul Singh is a glaucoma specialist at the Eye Centers of Racine & Kenosha, USA, founded in 1981 by his father, Dr. Kanwar Singh. He is also a clinical professor at the Chicago Medical School. He completed his residency at Cook County Hospital Division of Ophthalmology, his internship at Michael Reese Hospital Department of Medicine, and his fellowship in glaucoma at Duke University. Dr. Singh is actively involved in clinical research and has published papers in many ophthalmology journals. He is a member of several societies and groups. He is the founder and president of the International Ophthalmic Floater Society (IOFS) and on the board of directors for the Glaucoma Forum. He was the first ophthalmologist in Wisconsin to implant the iStent, a device designed to treat glaucoma. He has also pioneered the use of in-office lasers to remove visually significant floaters. He enjoys giving lectures and teaching seminars around the globe to help other doctors adopt newer technologies and techniques. He is a founding member of the band – Funkadesi – which mixes Indo-Afro-Caribbean styles of music. The band tours the world spreading the message one family, many children. Dr. Singh balances his passion for music with his family and his career.

Nikki L. Hafezi-Kristoffersen studied English and Spanish at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. She is a management consultant in strategy, business development, intellectual property, fundraising and quality management systems. She is specialized in the areas of medical devices and hospital management with a special focus in ophthalmology. Since 2007, Ms. Hafezi is partner of GroupAdvance (Management) Consulting GmbH, Zug, Switzerland. Her firm is currently managing the following clients: ELZA Institute AG (private ophthalmic surgical institute in Zurich), EMAGine AG (developer of medical devices for ophthalmic surgery), the Tashkent International Medical Center (most modern private hospital in Tashkent), Center for CARE at Pallas Kliniken AG (clinical research center of largest Swiss hospital network) and the Light for Sight Foundation (a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating a corneal degeneration named keratoconus). Ms. Hafezi-Kristoffersen holds a Master’s degree in intellectual property from the ETH Zurich (MASIP ETHZ). She has also completed her CAS (Certificate of Advanced Studies) in Clinical Research (Biostatistics) from the University of Bern, Switzerland and will defend her PhD from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Antwerp in Belgium in late 2022.

Dr. Phan Thi Nhu Quynh is one of the good and talented ophthalmologists specializing in refraction, currently working at Da Nang Eye Hospital. Dr. Nhu Quynh graduated as a general practitioner and then completed the residency program in ophthalmology at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy before working at Da Nang Eye Hospital. He is a practicing doctor at the Department of Occlusion and the Department of Refraction. As a dynamic young doctor, Dr. Nhu Quynh is always actively researching new and effective treatment methods to apply in his clinical practice for best patient outcomes.

Dr. Ashraful Huq is a consultant ophthalmologist at Bangladesh Eye Hospital & Institute (Dhanmondi Branch), Bangladesh Eye Care Hospital (Zigatola Branch) and Lasik Sight Center (Banani Branch) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His major field of practice is refractive phaco surgery, LASIK, corneal diseases, glaucoma and refractive surgery. Dr. Huq has completed fellowships in cataract & refractive surgery, and in cornea & anterior segment from Bangladesh Eye Hospital & Institute in Dhaka and LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India. Also, he took LASIK training from Narayana Nethralaya, India. Dr. Huq is the founder president of Bangladesh Young Ophthalmologists Society. He represents the young ophthalmologists from Bangladesh in different YO international meetings. Dr. Huq is the faculty of Phaco Development & Cataract Training Program by Alcon Bangladesh & Bangladesh Eye Hospital. He is also the coordinator faculty for the Overseas Trainees of Cataract Training Program. Dr. Huq was a volunteer at the posthumous eye donation awareness in Bangladesh when he was in medical school. Continuing his dedication in this area, he is now serving the Bangladesh Eyesight Foundation as Honorary Executive Director which is working to establish a functional eye bank in Bangladesh.

With almost twenty years of experience, Dr. Mark Eltis has practiced Optometry in New York, California, and Toronto. He is a graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and has taught there for over a decade. Dr. Eltis is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. He is also a faculty member of the Academy of Ophthalmic Education and he completed his California Glaucoma Certification at UC Berkeley. Dr. Eltis has served as an examiner for national licensing assessments in both Canada and the US. He has presented and published internationally and has been sought as an expert on optometric issues for national television and print.

In 2013, Dr. Eltis was honored as a member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society (OGS) having “demonstrated excellence in the care of patients with glaucoma through professional education and scientific investigation.”

Dr. Eltis is a reviewer for over a dozen publications including Journal of Glaucoma and Canadian Journal of Optometry.  In 2017, he was recognized for his “outstanding contribution in reviewing” by the editors of Journal of Optometry and Elsevier. He is also on the editorial board of scholarly publications and is a US optometric residency program evaluator.  Dr. Eltis has been a consultant for academic institutions overseas, contact lens/pharmaceutical companies, law firms, and a subject matter expert for competency evaluations. He serves on the board of directors of the Council for Healthy Eyes Canada and was elected to Council at the College of Optometrists of Ontario.

Dr. Eltis is currently focusing his practice on dry eye patients employing the latest diagnostic and therapeutic options. He loves connecting with optometry students and the public by sharing his eyecare tips on social media.

Dr. Kshitij Raizada is a vitreoretina, uvea and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) specialist working in Bareilly – a small town located 250 kilometers from the National Capital of India, New Delhi. Dr. Raizada graduated from Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and completed MS Ophthalmology from PGIMSR & ESIC Model Hospital, New Delhi. He followed it with super-specialization in vitreoretina, uvea and ROP services from Prakash Netra Kendr, Lucknow. Dr. Raizada envisions enhancing ophthalmic healthcare through making posterior segment services available to the populace of small cities, saving them the hassles of running to metropolitan cities for retina services. At his own center, quality ophthalmic care is being provided to patients belonging to all strata of society. Dr. Raizada carries a special interest in screening and treating ROP and aims to fight this preventable cause of blindness. He is a member of Vitreo-Retina Society of India (VRSI), All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS), Delhi Ophthalmological Society (DOS), Young Ophthalmologists Society of India (YOSI) and is an active participant of national and international conferences, having presented at many of them.

Dr. Truong Cong Gia Thinh is one of the talented young doctors currently working at Da Nang Eye Hospital. He graduated as a general practitioner from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Hue University and then graduated with a master’s degree in ophthalmology from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City. As a dynamic young doctor, he is actively researching many new methods and technologies to put into practice and bring the best results to patients.

Dr. Soosan Jacob is director and chief of Dr. Agarwal’s Refractive and Cornea Foundation (DARCF) and senior consultant of the Cataract and Glaucoma Services of Dr. Agarwal’s Group of Eye Hospitals in Chennai, India. She is a noted speaker widely respected for her innovative techniques and management of complex surgical scenarios. She is regularly recognized by a wide range of publications as one of the most influential ophthalmologists in the world due to her astonishing array of publications and surgical innovations like CAIRS. Her research interests include cutting edge cataract, cornea, glaucoma, complex anterior segment reconstruction, and refractive surgery.

Dr. Arun Gulani is a world renowned eye surgeon. Formerly the chief of cornea and refractive surgery at University of Florida, he is the founding director and chief surgeon of the internationally famous, Gulani Vision Institute, and the global CEO of Gulani Surgical Suites headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Listed in FORBES (goldline research) among Top Ten Laser Vision Surgeons in the USA and as one of the most famous eye surgeons in the world with a global clientele, Dr. Gulani is internationally renowned for his inventions, ground-breaking, innovative surgical techniques and publications. Dr. Gulani is a master surgeon, teacher, award winning inventor and author who travels the world on invitation to share his passion. Fondly known by colleagues as the “da Vinci” of eye surgery for his artistic surgical skills, “Man of Vision” for his relentless pursuit of “Vision beyond 20/20” and “Dr. GQ” for his immaculate dress sense and fashion, he lends elegance and artistry to eye surgery, leading him to invent the super-specialty of “Corneoplastique™” to raise eye surgery itself to an art level. With his “High Tech-High Touch” approach, he has revolutionized the doctor-patient relationship by providing personalized care for every patient, thus challenging the very business model prevalent in the world of medicine today. Super-specialized in advanced LASIK, custom corneal and premium cataract surgery, Dr. Gulani has uniquely woven the full spectrum of kerato-lenticulo-refractive surgery to custom design a specific surgical plan for each patient individually and is always among the first in the world to introduce new technologies, techniques and protocols as a consultant to patients, eye surgeons and the eye care industry itself. With an eye of an artist and a passion to help people see, he has turned Jacksonville, Florida, into the vision destination for the world.

Dr. Rachel Chong is a consultant at the Glaucoma Department of the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). She holds a joint appointment as clinician-scientist at the Genome Institute of Singapore, and is actively involved in academic research and education. Concurrently, Dr. Chong is a clinical lecturer at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, as well as an assistant professor with the Duke-NUS Medical School. In her clinical practice, Dr. Chong believes that patients should be treated in a holistic manner and have the opportunity to understand their own conditions well in order to participate in their care. She views a sound doctor-patient relationship as having equal importance as providing access to the highest quality healthcare. Dr. Chong’s research interest includes glaucoma pathogenesis and novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for glaucoma.

Ms. Tran Thi Kim Ngan is a qualified and professional optometrist with a high level of experience. She has a real zest for sharing her passion in teaching and learning. Ms. Tran is currently working as an optometrist and lecturer at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, specializing in binocular vision. 

Prof. Indu Pal Kaur is a professor and chairperson of the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) at Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. She is among the top 2% most cited scientists across the globe as per Stanford University, USA (2020-2021). Her research forte lies in enhancing bioperformance of drugs and biomolecules using active-tailored delivery systems like solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), nano vesicles and cyclodextrin complexes. Prof. Kaur’s group has worked extensively on novel platform nanotechnologies to overcome challenges in ocular delivery of molecules like antifungals, antiglaucoma medications and posterior eye delivery for AMD and diabetic retinopathy. She has produced 26 PhDs and 55 postgraduates and has received funding of around 100 million INRs from both government and industry. She has delivered 50 invited talks and published around 150 articles with H index of 45. She has 6 books and more than 20 book chapters to her credit. Prof. Kaur was a US-Fulbright Fellow (2017-2018) and was awarded the Women Scientist Award in 2018 by OPPI. She was graced with BRIC Technology Exposition Award, consecutively for two years (2019 and 2020), and Researcher of the Year Award in 2019, by Sunpure Research Incubation Center. Recently, she won the Grand Innovation Challenge conducted by Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance in November 2021. She has received funding for project and Beamtime Application at the ISIS facility – Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, United Kingdom in 2017 and 2022. The emphasis of Prof. Kaur’s work lies on industrial and clinical translation and is reflected through licensing of four of her technologies to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and dermaceutical industries and 33 filed patent applications – out of which, 12 are granted (including one in the USA).

Dr. Dmytro Pavlenko is an assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv, Ukraine. Dr. Pavlenko is also enrolled in a PhD program in ophthalmology at the same institution. Previously, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA.

Dr. Apoorva Ayachit is a consultant at vitreoretinal services, M.M. Joshi Eye institute, Hubli. She finished her MS ophthalmology from Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi with a gold medal. She then obtained her DNB ophthalmology and FICO. She did her fellowship in vitreoretina at M.M. Joshi Eye institute. She also received FAICO from All India Ophthalmic Society in vitreoretina. Dr. Ayachit has 26 indexed publications and six book chapters to her credit so far. She holds the position of assistant editor in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology and is an active reviewer in international ophthalmology, clinical ophthalmology, ocular immunology and inflammation. She leads the Young Ophthalmologists’ Society of India (YOSI) as academic-in-charge and has conducted several academic programs for young ophthalmologists in training, education and practice in association with AIOS. She has been faculty speaker for various state, national and international conferences. She has won various quizzes in AIOC, DOS and KOS. Her competencies include complex VR surgery, macular imaging and uveitis. She is actively involved in teaching activities, research and surgical training at M.M. Joshi Eye institute.

Ms. Nguyen Huyen Trang is the founder of Fifth Sense Eye Center (FSEC) – the very first pediatric eye care center in Vietnam. She is also the co-founder of Optometry Vietnam Association. Ms. Nguyen is one of the pioneers who helped build the optometry foundation in Vietnam and is one of the first optometry lecturers of Vietnam since 2015. She is currently working at the Ophthalmology Department, Hanoi Medical University (HMU). Founded in 1902, HMU is oldest and largest medical university of Vietnam. Also, Ms. Nguyen is a social activist. She is the key person in various social activities organized by HMU, NGOs and the government to improve the quality of eye care system, especially in the field of pediatric eye care, vision screening, policy advocacy and education.

Dr. Ashish Sharma completed his clinical retina and research fellowship from University of California Irvine, USA. Before joining Lotus Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, India, he served as a clinical instructor at University of California Irvine, USA and faculty at LVPEI Hyderabad, India. His areas of interest are DME, ARMD, ocular pharmacotherapy and recent imaging techniques. He is the innovator of the patent pending fundus imaging device MII Ret Cam. He has been awarded the International Ophthalmologist Education Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Board of Trustees and the Ophthalmic Hero of India by the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS). He has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals along with chapters. He is on the reviewing and editorial boards of high impact ophthalmology journals.

Ms. Laura Lee is chief representative, Hong Kong and ASEAN, at The Fred Hollows Foundation. She joined The Fred Hollows Foundation in April 2018 in this role and brings 14 years’ experience as a humanitarian aid worker and business development. Laura started her career working in refugee protection with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Malaysia where she assessed asylum claims and specialized in Child Protection. From there, she moved to Hong Kong where she served the asylum seeker and CAT (Convention Against Torture) claimant population at a small legal aid non-profit. She has also worked with international humanitarian aid organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), undertaking a dual role in managing the organization’s regional philanthropy program and serving as Humanitarian Affairs Officer in field locations including Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan. Laura eventually decided to return to her first passion by serving directly with a social impact organization and rejoined the non-profit sector, assuming her current role with The Fred Hollows Foundation in early 2018. She firmly believes that it is our responsibility to leave the world in a better place than when we first entered it.

Dr. Diva Kant Misra is a vitreo-retina consultant at Eye-Q Super Speciality Eye Hospital, Lucknow, India. He completed his training at Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, Guwahati and Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, San Francisco (USA). He holds the post of general secretary for the Young Ophthalmologists Society of India (YOSI) and chief editor for the Young Ophthalmologists Times. He is the recipient of various ophthalmic awards like the APAO Achievement Award, Bangkok 2019; Best of IJO Award 2017-18; Ophthalmic Hero of India 2017 and 2018; KOS International Travel Grant 2019, Busan; the Yasuo Tano Award from APAO, Singapore 2017; APVRS Tano Award 2018, Malaysia; and other national and state level awards. He has published extensively (26 publications and book chapters), presented in conferences held at various international and national forums, and has been invited faculty in international forums like EURETINA, APAO and AAO.

Dr. Nguyen Tuan Thanh Hao is the head of the ocular fundus department at Da Nang Eye Hospital since 2001. She studied as a general doctor at Hue Medical University and graduated in 2000, after which she continued to pursue a master’s degree in ophthalmology at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City in 2003. Dr. Hao has many years of experience working at the ocular fundus department  at Da Nang Eye Hospital. So far she has devoted 11 years of her career here. Along with practice, Dr. Hao completed her doctoral training at Hanoi Medical University in 2020. With her dedication to the profession, Dr. Hao is constantly researching and dedicating herself to being one of the leading doctors at Da Nang Eye Hospital.

Prof. Rudy Nuijts is a professor of ophthalmology, vice-chairman and director of the Cornea Clinic and the Center for Refractive Surgery at the University Eye Clinic Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC), the Netherlands. Prof. Nuijts was a research fellow at Emory Eye Center, Atlanta (under Henry F. Edelhauser) in 1989 and 1993 where he pioneered the etiology of toxic endothelial cell destruction after cataract surgery (now called TASS, Toxic Anterior Segment Syndrome) and initiated research into sustained transscleral drug delivery. His research interests are in the field of corneal surgery and innovations in cataract and refractive surgery. Prof. Nujits is a well published author in ophthalmology journals, has mentored many PhD students and has delivered over 300 invited lectures in various conferences. He is the chairman of the Netherlands IntraOcular Implant Society (NIOIC), treasurer of the Dutch Corneal Society, board member of EuCornea, and director of the ESCRS, where he also serves as a chairman of the Corneal and Research Committees.

Prof. Anders Behndig, MD, PhD, is a professor at the Department of Clinical Sciences/Ophthalmology, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden, and vice dean of the Medical Faculty of Umeå University. Prof. Behndig attended medical school and passed his ophthalmological residency in Umeå. He is the former president of the Swedish Ophthalmological Society. His clinical areas of interest involve most aspects of anterior segment surgery, and his research interests include the eye’s anterior segment, with a broad focus spanning from basic cataract and corneal research, mainly in the keratoconus area, to clinical research on intraocular lenses, viscoelastics, ocular pharmacokinetics, myopia and cataract surgery. He has authored more than 100 scientific articles, and is the head of the Swedish National Cataract Register.

Dr. Rajeev Prasad is a senior clinical optometrist currently based in Delhi NCR (India) with clinical practices in Bihar, Jharkhand (Eastern India) and Noida (Delhi NCR). After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, he got his fellowship in low vision from the word-renowned LV Prasad Eye Institute (Hyderabad, India) in 2002 and was awarded an scholarship by the Tata Group of Companies. Aside from that, Dr. Prasad has a bachelor’s degree in homeopathy (BHMS). Dr. Prasad was trained in Japan and in the United States in eye screening for special population and further served for five years as Asia-Pacific Director for Health at Special Olympics International, USA. He has presented as invited speaker to several national and international forums in optometry and was a key person in the implementation of Special Olympics Lions Club’s international Opening Eyes Program in Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Prasad is the only Indian optometrist who received the honor of the most prestigious Optometrist of the Year award for two years (2018 and 2020). Currently, Dr. Prasad is the secretary-general of the Indian Optometry Association and vice-president of the Asia Pacific Council of Optometry. He also serves as board of director of the World Council of Optometry and is a member of the Public Health Committee. Dr. Prasad is well travelled across most countries of Asia and the USA. His areas of interest include: low vision rehabilitation, adult amblyopia, binocular vision therapy, specialty contact lens and myopia management. 

Ms. Ha Thi Thu Huong is one of the pioneer optometrists trained locally in Vietnam. After finishing her degree with the first batch of optometry graduates at Hanoi Medical University (HMU) in 2019, Ms. Ha spent one year as a teaching assistant at HMU and oriented herself to community activity. HMU is a 120-year-old university, the most prestigious and has the most rigorous training in Vietnam. Ms. Ha and others have founded the HMU Optometry Club – the first club for Vietnamese optometrists in 2016, and also HOME Eye Care Co. Ltd. in 2019 – one in two awarded medical model in National Start up Competition for Student in that year. Right from the start of her career, she regularly takes part in both domestic and international researches and won an award for her scientific report in Vietnam Ophthalmology Society in 2019. Ms. Ha joined Orbis International as the Research Coordinator when she was 23 years old and developed many training materials, programs and researches in the framework of collaboration among Orbis International, Queen University Belfast, UK and Vietnamese Optometrists and Ophthalmologists as well. Her latest research work was just recently reported at the ARVO annual meeting in April 2022. 

Dr. Mor Dickman, MD, PhD, is an ophthalmologist and anterior segment specialist at the University Eye Clinic Maastricht UMC+ in the Netherlands. In addition to clinical and translational research (MERLN Institute), he is committed to data-driven quality improvement through benchmarking, health technology assessment and policy development on a national and European level. Dr. Dickman is a steering group member and elected co-chair of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) multinational registries: EUREQUO (European Registry of Quality Outcomes for Cataract and Refractive Surgery), EuReCCa (European Registry of Childhood Cataract) and ECCTR (European Cornea and Cell Transplantation Registry), collecting data on over 3 million surgeries from 15 countries for quality improvement. He is also a member of the ESCRS Research Committee and the ESCRS Digital Health Special Interest Group. In addition, he represents the European Alliance for Vision Research and Ophthalmology (EU-EYE) as a member of the Healthcare Professional’s Working Group of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). On the national level, Dr. Dickman chairs the cornea committee of the Netherlands Transplant Foundation and the Netherlands Cornea Transplant Registry, and is a board member of the Netherlands Ophthalmology Society Quality Committee, responsible for the Dutch cataract and refractive surgery registries.

Dr. S. May Ho is an Australian registered optometrist working in public health and international eye health for the past 30 years. Currently, she is the optometry and primary care advisor at The Fred Hollows Foundation. Dr. Ho has worked extensively in the development and implementation of sustainable eye care and education  programs in various countries in Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Sri Lanka, India, Timor-Leste, PNG) and Africa (Kenya, South Africa) regions, as well as in Haiti and Moldova. She was involved in the  development and delivery of refraction, low vision, primary eye care and training of trainers’ courses for  various cadres of health workers including mid-level ophthalmic personnel, optometrists, and ophthalmologists. Dr. Ho was part of a myopia education team developing online myopia education programs.  She also managed and delivered “Advocacy for Eye Health” courses in collaboration with the World Council  of Optometry (WCO). Over fifty optometry leaders from the six WCO regions were trained as eye health  advocates through this course. Her biggest achievement is the introduction of optometry into Vietnam. This was the culmination of 10 years of working closely with the in-country team and partners. She led and oversaw the project design,  planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the program — working with stakeholders including government ministries, hospitals, NGOs, universities, and students. Dr. Ho currently serves on the World Council of Optometry Public Health Subcommittee, Optometry Victoria  South Australia Education Advisory Committee, IAPB School Eye Health Working Group, and Low Vision  Working Group. 

Dr. Lila Raj Puri is the medical advisor, Asia, for The Fred Hollows Foundation and Alina Vision’s global medical advisor. An ophthalmologist and oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Lila completed his degree in ophthalmology at the Institute of Medicine, Nepal. He completed his fellowship in oculoplasty from Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, as well as his Master of Public Health for Eye Care from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is an ophthalmologist with over 14 years of experience in clinical and surgical management of eye diseases, and hospital management. He also has vast clinical experience, having performed more than 70,000 cataract surgeries. Previously, Dr. Lila worked as  an ophthalmologist and the medical director of the Sagarmatha Choudhary Eye Hospital in Lahan, one of Nepal’s largest eye hospitals. As an associate professor, he has trained national and international ophthalmologists in cataract surgeries, as well as overseeing the training of optometrists, residents and nurses. As global medical advisor, Dr. Lila offers operational support to our network hospitals, with a focus on clinical governance, continuous quality improvement and assurance, as well as ophthalmologist training.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Phuc is a cataract, glaucoma and eye trauma surgeon working in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. He is interested in glaucoma and spends a lot of his clinical practice in the diagnosis, surgery and management of glaucoma disease. Dr. Phuc completed his ophthalmology residency at University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is now a lecturer at the Opthalmology Department of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City and practicing ophthalmologist at the Opthalmology Department of Cho Ray Hospital – one of the biggest hospitals in Vietnam. 

Professor Dan Milea is a Neuro-ophthalmologist and a senior consultant who holds a MD and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. He was successively a Neuro-Ophthalmology consultant at the Pitie Salpetriere University Hospital in Paris, then a Professor of Neuro-Ophthalmology in Copenhagen, Denmark, before being the Chairman and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Angers University Hospital, France. In Singapore since 2012, he is currently a Senior Clinician in the Department of Neuro-ophthalmology at SNEC. He has published over 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals and he is a Principal Investigator for several studies in Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology and Visual Neuroscience.  

Professor Milea is also a member of the faculty staff at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, and Head of the Visual Neuroscience group at the Singapore Eye Research Institute. He is involved in the Neuro-Ophthalmology teaching programmes and mentoring of residents, trainees and research staff.

Dr. Elise Brisco is the founder of NearSight – a new vision wellness company that is revolutionizing solutions to keep people comfortable and productive on their devices in our digital culture. Dr. Brisco has dedicated her career to helping others through her multidisciplinary wellness group and integrative optometric and homeopathic practice. She has written many articles, been a Key Opinion Leader, and has presented lectures extensively. She has been interviewed in over 400 TV, radio, internet, and print. She sold her practice in 2019 to focus on launching NearSight. She continues her mission to educate and motivate others to live their best life as a Health, Beauty and Fitness Influencer. She collaborates with wellness and fashion brands to promote healthy living through social media. You can find her on Instagram @HollywoodEyes or Facebook and YouTube Hollywood Eyes – Dr. Elise Brisco. Dr. Brisco is a doctor-turned-model and pageant queen – she is the reigning Ms. Woman California United States and a runway and published model. Her platform is Healthy Living for Healthy Aging. In her personal life she is passionate about her family, boxing, fitness and travel.

Dr. Rajat Kapoor completed his basic medical training from Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Maharashtra, India (affiliated to MUHS, Nashik). He finished his Diploma in Ophthalmology from Joseph Eye hospital in Trichy (India) where he won the gold medal, followed by D.N.B in Ophthalmology from Sankara Eye Hospital in Coimbatore (India). Dr. Kapoor then went on to do a fellowship in pediatric, neuro-ophthalmology and strabismus from LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad India). This was followed by a consultancy position at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Visakhapatnam (India). Dr. Kapoor is a fellow of the International Council of Ophthalmology (FICO) London and also a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow (FRCS). Having an experience of over 11 years in the field on ophthalmology, Dr. Kapoor has performed more than 20,000 surgical procedures. Also, having travelled the length and breadth of his home country (India), he has a wide experience in public health. Dr. Kapoor conducts frequent hands-on and video assisted skill transfer courses for upcoming eye surgeons in India and is an invited faculty/speaker, having presented his work in the form of research papers, posters and videos at various national and international ophthalmology conferences. He has published book chapters with Springer publications and over 15 research papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is also a reviewer for well received ophthalmology journals such as BMJ, IJO, JCOR, among others. His core clinical and research interests include adult and pediatric strabismus (Squint), pediatric cataract, neuro-ophthalmological disorders, low vision and rehabilitation services and premium cataract surgery.

Ms. Pham Kim Ngoc is the current country director for Orbis Vietnam July 2021. As the country director, Ms. Pham oversees the strategic and operational management of Orbis Vietnam’s country office and the fulfillment of Orbis’s mission in Vietnam. Previously, Ms. Pham was the country director for Helen Keller International (HKI), where she served as their chief representative and country director for over 10 years. During her tenure, she significantly expanded HKI’s program portfolio from eye health to also include nutrition. She has substantial experience working with government, local partners and donors and has displayed a deep interest in working with women, children, and disadvantaged communities. Ms. Pham holds an MBA from Troy University in the United States, in collaboration with the National University of Vietnam and a BA in International Economics from the Vietnam Institute of International Relations.

Dr. Sahil Thakur graduated with his MBBS and MS from Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India. He is currently a clinical research fellow at the Singapore Eye Research Institute. Apart from pursuing clinical ophthalmology, he has a keen interest in developing affordable diagnostic tools for addressing unmet public healthcare requirements. Previously he has co-authored a book, Smart Resources in Ophthalmology: Applications and Social Networking and has co-edited a book, Artificial Intelligence and Ophthalmology: Perks, Perils and Pitfalls. In addition to these he has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and is on the editorial board of BMC Ophthalmology. Dr. Thakur also has an interest in developing tools for ophthalmic education and has published two Android applications (Ophthalmaster and Ophthalminion) for use by residents and medical school students. He can be reached at drsahilthakur@gmail.com for potential collaborations. 

Dr. Samita Moolani is a second-generation ophthalmologist from Pune, India. She practices general ophthalmology with a special focus on cataract and cornea at her father’s 32-year-old private practice. Dr. Moolani also runs two referral clinics for charity to help patients from low-income households who are supported for medical care trhough NGOs. She is a trustee of Hope foundation, a trust that focuses on education and healthcare. Dr. Moolani has trained in Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Singapore at prestigious eye hospitals. During her post-graduation and fellowship, she also was the creative coordinator with the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, responsible for helping the journal go digital via apps. She has also organized numerous research methodology workshops under the journal. In 2018 she had the honor of joining Orbis as a medical volunteer in Ethiopia to train students to perform manual small incision cataract surgery in the wet lab. She was to rejoin a program in 2020 in Mongolia, however the pandemic had other plans. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a new challenge in Pune, one of the worst hit cities, where she started the Food for All initiative funded through social media friends, family, well-wishers and generous strangers. Over 1.5 lakh meals in the form of dry ration were distributed to the worst hit areas over a span of one year through the 2 waves of the pandemic period. Apart from ophthalmology, Dr. Moolani is also a passionate traveler, scuba diver and loves fashion.

Prof. Farhad Hafezi is a prominent Swiss eye surgeon and researcher. Prof. Hafezi first gained recognition as a leading retina researcher in 1994, having been the first to discover a gene responsible for light-induced retinal degeneration. However, he changed his research focus to the cornea in 2003. He is instrumental in implementing corneal cross-linking technology in ophthalmology. Currently, he is a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Geneva, an adjunct clinical professor of ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, a research group leader of the Ocular Cell Biology Group at the Center for Applied Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine at the University of Zurich, a visiting professor at the University of Wenzhou, China and medical director of the ELZA Institute. Prof. Hafezi is considered to be a leading expert and key opinion leader in the development and translation of CXL and its multiple applications in the field of ophthalmology, including the treatment of corneal ectatic disorders like keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration and post-LASIK ectasia. He has published almost 200 articles in various peer-reviewed scientific journals since 1993, including Nature Medicine, Nature Genetics, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS), the Journal of Refractive Surgery, and Cell Death & Differentiation. Prof Hafezi was born in 1967 and grew up in Fribourg, Switzerland. He fluently speaks German (mother tongue), English, French, Polish and Farsi. He is married and has three daughters.

Ms. Vu Thi Minh Hanh is the former deputy director of Health Strategy Policy Institute (HSPI). Ms. Vu has nearly 25 years of working experience in the health advocacy sector. She has been the principle investigator in various researches in this field. Ms. Vu has been involved in conducting scientific research and using those evidence for policy advocacy. She has significant contribution on developing and advocating many important health policies such as: advocate and establish social work department in a hospital in the health system of Vietnam, evaluate the patient satisfaction and advocate to improve the quality of the service in hospital, advocate for the law on prevention of harmful effects of alcohol use, etc. Furthermore, she also coordinated eye care organizations in conducting research in eye care system such as: assessing the current situation of district eye care and proposing the development of a national guidelines for district eye care, assessment of the situation of eye care at the provincial level in Vietnam, and the pediatric eye care situation analysis, among others.

Dr. Manjit Singh is an eye surgeon with a vast experience of more than 25 years. He is a Gold Medalist in M.D. Ophthalmics and was honored with a State Award (Praman Patra), in August 2005, and then again in January 2021 in recognition of his exemplary service in the field, from Punjab Government. Presently he is working as senior medical officer, at Civil Hospital, Morinda, Punjab, India. Prior to this, he was a senior medical officer at Civil Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India. Dr Manjit’s area of specialization includes: modern stich less cataract eye surgery under local anaesthesia with lens implantation, glaucoma surgery, squint surgery, and development of suitable antiglaucoma medication. He is an active member of various ophthalmological societies in India. To date, he is accredited with more than 5000 successful cataract surgeries. He regularly visits remote areas of India and performs cataract surgeries on poor patients especially under the initiative of the Rotaract Club and other local NGOs. His genuine interest to serve underprivileged rural patients has motivated him for holding several free Eye Camps over the last 25 years. He regularly arranges a special Weekly Clinic for the underprivileged in collaboration with NGOs and other religious organizations. More than 50 awards of honor have been bestowed on him by various NGOs including the Rotaract Club of India. Dr. Manjit has delivered several lectures for promoting eye donations under the School Health Programme as a field outreach activity. As a researcher, Dr. Manjit has published and presented his work in various research journals and several workshops and conferences.

Dr. Sarity Dodson is the research director of The Fred Hollows Foundation – a non-profit aid organization based in Australia, that undertakes and supports health services research that improves the quality, productivity and accessibility of eye care for those living in low resource settings. Dr. Dodson is a health services researcher and behavioral scientist with a particular interest in the critical role of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for trachoma elimination, and enablers of citizen participation in healthcare and health behavior, across settings and cultures. 

Terrace L. Waggoner Jr. (who goes by T.J.), has been developing medical devices for approximately 10 years. T.J. Waggoner has an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master’s in Business Administration, and a master’s in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of West Florida. T.J. has completed his coursework for a PhD in organizational behavior but he continues the painful process of checking all the boxes to finally obtain his PhD from Claremont Graduate University. You may be wondering how T.J. fell into ophthalmic medical devices, and he owes the pleasure to his awesome father, Dr. Terrace Waggoner. T.J. believes that not having an educational background in engineering or medicine has allowed him to think outside the box and create devices where other individuals saw too many constraints.