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| Message from the Organizing Committee Chairman | Volume 9, Number 1, February 2007 Supplement 1 | 
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
On behalf of the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and its many participating institutions, I bid all delegates a warm welcome to Singapore, and to our inaugural Asia-ARVO Meeting on Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. This meeting is the culmination of 2 previous SERI-ARVO meetings, which were held in 2003 and 2005, and I wish to thank the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) for the continued commitment to supporting vision research in Asia.
I am pleased to announce that we have once again an overwhelming response, with over 830 abstracts submitted by vision researchers and scientists from across the globe. Delegates and speakers will come from 33 different countries, with participants from 16 Asian nations, providing this meeting with a truly international perspective.
As in previous meetings, the first day of the meeting will again be devoted to various workshops focusing on the design and conduct of eye research, conducted by an international faculty of experts and an expanding number of special interest groups concentrating on key regional topics relevant to the Asia-Pacific region. I am pleased to report that a superb scientific program has been planned, with a total of 175 symposium presentations, by no less than 100 invited international speakers. In addition to past symposia which address important clinical and translational aspects of vision and ophthalmic research, which include topics on Stem Cell Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Inflammation and Infection, and Epidemiology, as well as subspecialty symposia on Cornea, Retina, Lens, Glaucoma, Myopia and Refractive Surgery, this year, we have expanded the program to include new symposia on Ocular Imaging, Paediatric Ophthalmology, Neuro-ophthalmology, Oculoplastics and Orbit. In addition, in the ARVO tradition, an international delegation of speakers from ARVO will present pivotal topics in vision research at a special ARVO Symposium entitled State-of-the-art Research and Development in Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Once again, we are also pleased to have top international vision researchers delivering a series of 6 Plenary Lectures highlighting important research advances in the major subspecialty fields.
In the spirit of encouraging young doctors and scientists, the Asia-ARVO Meeting has again awarded a total of 53 Asia-ARVO Travel Awards with funds generously donated by industry sponsors, while our select panel of international judges will be working hard throughout the meeting to award 8 prestigious Young Investigator Awards in the Basic Science and Clinical Research categories.
Don’t forget to attend the social highlight of the meeting! In response to overwhelming demand, we will once again host our Congress Dinner, at The Arts House at the Old Parliament building, Singapore’s oldest surviving government building, a beautiful Neo-Palladian building which stands at the exact site where Sir Stamford Raffles first set foot on our island in 1819. And in order to allow delegates to enjoy Singapore’s international culinary delights during your stay with us with less guilt, we have also arranged a special Asia-ARVO “Run For Sight” charity run to raise funds for eye research along a great panoramic view of the Marina Bay and the magnificent cityscape of Singapore’s Central Business District by the Bay.
It remains for me to thank our hardworking Asia-ARVO Organizing Committee, and the ARVO Administration, who have once again done a wonderful job in bringing this inaugural meeting to fruition, and especial thanks to esteemed members of the Asia-ARVO International Advisory Committee, chaired by Bob Nussenblatt, for their invaluable assistance and scientific guidance. We are also most grateful to the large number of our commercial and philanthropic sponsors for their liberal and charitable support, with especial thanks to Allergan and Alcon, our Platinum Sponsors, and the various governmental and academic organisations for their invaluable guidance and assistance.
I wish you all a wonderful experience in Singapore, and a great meeting ahead!
Donald Tan, FRCS
Director, Singapore Eye Research InstituteOrganizing Chairman, 2007 Asia-ARVO Meeting on Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
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