Dear Friends and Colleagues,
 
On behalf of the Aravind Eye Care System, we invite you to the 4th Asia Pacific Tele-Ophthalmology Society (APTOS) Symposium in Chennai, India, on September 21 – 22, 2019.
 
Tele-medicine has made “reaching the unreached” possible. With increasing imaging capabilities, ophthalmology is best placed to make the most of it. Today, the advent of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to further improve diagnosis and predict outcomes. This will eventually revolutionize care for our patients as we are enabled to provide it in a more and more personalized manner. Big data and the use of advanced analytics are bringing a major transformation to the healthcare sector worldwide. Analytics-assisted care would become an integral part of ophthalmology practices in the future.
 
At the 4th APTOS Symposium, experts will share how emerging, innovative digital technologies are used in different parts of the world to enhance ophthalmic care. The theme of this year’s meeting will be the evolution of AI in the ophthalmologic revolution. We will see how far AI has evolved from the inaugural APTOS Symposium in 2016 and look at what it is capable of doing in ophthalmology and the revolution it has brought to the ophthalmic community. A major highlight of APTOS 2019 will be the APTOS Hackathon and the Big Data DR Challenge for different algorithms in ocular diagnostics. We would like to invite investigators, hospitals and/or companies to participate in the Challenge either as an individual or a group. Through competition, we improve, strengthening what we’ve built, including friendships. More importantly, at APTOS 2019, we will look at the potential of AI and big data analytics to improve diagnostics for better patient care delivery. We will also further our roundtable discussions on the practicality and the regulatory implications of emerging digital technologies as well as ethical considerations.
 
Chennai is often referred to as the “Soul of South India.” As the capital city of the Tamil Nadu State, it plays a major role as keeper of the South Indian artistic, religious and culinary traditions. The city has a lot to offer – museums, temples, authentic South Indian delicacies, a sunset saunter along Marina Beach, etc. There is also the cosmopolitan glamour – luxurious hotels, sparkling boutiques, quirky cafes, and smart contemporary restaurants.
 
I look forward to welcoming you to APTOS 2019 in Chennai!
 
Yours sincerely,

Dr. Kim RAMASAMY
Congress President
4th APTOS Symposium