Council & Office Bearers

The Asia-Pacific region carries a disproportionate share of the world's preterm births, retinoblastoma cases, and treatable childhood blindness. Yet, until now, the specialists caring for these children lacked a formal home.

Keeping all these in view, the Asia Pacific Paediatric Retina Association (APPREA) was born in November 2024, where colleagues from across fifteen Asia-Pacific nations unanimously endorsed our constitution with a singular purpose; to build a united regional voice for paediatric retinal disease.

Our goals are practical and immediate—to establish regional consensus, foster an honest exchange of clinical ideas, support trainees, and, ultimately, ensure better outcomes for children with retinal disease across our region. This includes regular meetings (every 18 months), promoting research and innovation and additionally preparing guidelines for different diseases in our region.

I wish our organisation speedy growth with the hope of bringing a smile to the face of every child, wherever they may be. I look forward to the great support from every corner of the world. With best wishes to all.

It was an honour to host the inaugural APPREA Congress and the founding Round Table Council Meeting in Shanghai in November 2024.

This landmark milestone was made possible by the vision of Prof. Dr. Rajvardhan Azad, who was the driving force behind the entire concept and succeeded in bringing paediatric retina surgeons from across the Asia-Pacific region together onto a single, unified platform.

As we look ahead to our upcoming congresses in Kumamoto (2026) and our next host city in 2027, the vital work of our society begins.

APPREA's strength lies entirely in its network. I urge our members and incoming colleagues to actively participate in our working groups, contribute teaching cases, and help shape the future of paediatric retina care in our region.