Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (APACRS)

What Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (APACRS) does

APACRS is a non-profit professional medical society headquartered at the Singapore National Eye Centre (11 Third Hospital Avenue, #06-20, Singapore) and founded in 1987 by Prof. Arthur S.M. Lim. Originally constituted as the Asia-Pacific Intraocular Implant Association (APIIA), it was rebranded to its present name circa 2002-2003 to reflect the broader scope of cataract and refractive surgery. The society serves practicing ophthalmologists and eye surgeons across the Asia-Pacific region via a network of 12 affiliated national societies (BSCRS, CSCRS, INASCRS, IIRSI, JSCRS, KSCRS, MSCRS, PSCRS, THSCRS, VSCRS and others) plus international partnerships with ASCRS and ESCRS through the Combined Symposium of Cataract and Refractive Societies (CSCRS), which has been held since 2005.

APACRS's core products and services are: (1) the annual APACRS scientific meeting, which rotates through Asia-Pacific countries and features MasterClasses, symposia, the Film Festival, LIM Lecture, and Gold Medal; (2) EyeWorld Asia-Pacific, a quarterly anterior-segment news magazine published in four regional editions (Asia-Pacific, China, India, Korea) and freely accessible online; (3) the Barrett IOL Calculator suite (Barrett Universal II, Barrett Toric, Barrett True-K, Barrett True-K Toric, Barrett Rx Formula), a proprietary clinical biometry tool hosted on the APACRS website with grant support from the Singapore Eye Foundation; (4) the APACRS Principles of Preferred Practice clinical guidelines; (5) the APACRS Film Festival archive and a webinar/video library; and (6) awards programs including the LIM Lecture, Gold Medal, and A.C.E. (Certified Educator) Award, the latter co-sponsored by Alcon, Johnson & Johnson Vision, and ZEISS.

APACRS generates revenue through three primary streams: (a) Associate Membership fees at US$50 for a 3-year term, structured as a multi-year subscription; (b) delegate registration fees for the annual congress, with members receiving substantially reduced rates; and (c) industry sponsorships and exhibitor fees structured into Platinum, Gold, and Silver tiers, with named sponsors including Alcon, Johnson & Johnson Vision, ZEISS, Bausch + Lomb, and Santen. A supplementary grant from the Singapore Eye Foundation supports hosting of the Barrett IOL calculators. Pricing is therefore a hybrid of low-fee individual membership, ticket-based conference revenue, and B2B sponsorship from global ophthalmic device manufacturers.

Name

Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (APACRS)

Legal name

Asia Pacific Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons

Website

https://apacrs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

APACRS is a non-profit medical society founded in 1987 in Singapore that serves ophthalmologists across the Asia-Pacific region through an annual rotating congress, the EyeWorld Asia-Pacific quarterly magazine, the Barrett IOL Calculator suite, and a network of 12 affiliated national cataract and refractive surgery societies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (62132)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery (LASIK/PRK) (HLAKAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cataract Surgery Systems & IOLs (Phaco Systems, IOLs, Intraoperative Aberrometry, Viscoelastics) (HLAHAJAH)

Keywords

• Ophthalmology professional education
• Cataract surgery training
• Refractive surgery guidelines
• Medical society membership
• Ophthalmic clinical resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: APACRS generates revenue through membership fees. Associate Membership is available at US$50 for 3 years, providing benefits such as reduced registration fees at APACRS congresses and free subscription to EyeWorld Asia-Pacific news magazine.
2. Annual Congress Registration: Revenue generated from delegate registration fees at annual meetings. Members receive substantially reduced rates compared to non-member registration.
3. Industry Sponsorships and Exhibitor Fees: Annual meetings feature industry lunch symposia, exhibitor booths, and corporate sponsorships. Platinum, Gold, and Silver sponsor tiers are available. Companies like Alcon, Johnson and Johnson Vision, ZEISS, Bausch + Lomb, Santen, and others sponsor awards and symposia.
4. Singapore Eye Foundation Support: Hosting of the Barrett IOL calculators is supported with a grant from the Singapore Eye Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

APACRS is a professional medical society that delivers continuing education, clinical guidelines, and peer-networking services to cataract and refractive surgeons across the Asia-Pacific region. Its sellable offerings include the EyeWorld Asia-Pacific quarterly news magazine, the rotating annual scientific meeting, the Barrett IOL Calculator suite, the APACRS Principles of Preferred Practice clinical guidelines, the Film Festival, the online video library and webinar programs, and the LIM Lecture/Gold Medal/A.C.E. awards programs.

Product overview

APACRS is a professional medical society that serves the cataract and refractive surgery community across the Asia-Pacific region. Its core offerings include the quarterly EyeWorld Asia-Pacific news magazine (available in Asia-Pacific, China, India, and Korea editions), the annual APACRS meeting featuring scientific programs with MasterClasses, symposia, and the APACRS Film Festival, and the Barrett IOL Calculator suite for biometry calculations. The society also publishes the APACRS Principles of Preferred Practice clinical guidelines, maintains a video library of educational content, and operates awards programs including the LIM Lecture, Gold Medal, and A.C.E. Award. Membership provides access to reduced registration fees and free EyeWorld subscription.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EyeWorld Asia-Pacific

Quantifiable outcome

• EyeWorld Asia-Pacific magazine reaches over 60,000 ophthalmologists in over 100 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (ASCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASCRS collaborates with APACRS through the Combined Symposium of Cataract and Refractive Societies (CSCRS), first held in 2005 at the 18th APACRS annual meeting in Beijing. CSCRS presents perspectives from four corners of the globe through a joint symposium at APACRS annual meetings.
• European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESCRS collaborates with APACRS through the Combined Symposium of Cataract and Refractive Societies (CSCRS), representing major cataract and refractive societies from around the world.
• Bangladesh Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (BSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing Bangladesh.
• Chinese Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (CSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society that has co-hosted joint meetings with APACRS, including the 36th APACRS-24th CSCRS Joint Meeting in Chengdu, China (2024).
• Indonesian Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (INASCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing Indonesia.
• Intraocular Implant & Refractive Society of India (IIRSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing India. Co-hosted 37th APACRS Annual Meeting in Ahmedabad, India (2025) with Ahmedabad Ophthalmological Society and All Gujarat Ophthalmological Society.
• Japanese Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (JSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing Japan.
• Korean Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (KSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society that co-hosted the 34th APACRS-2022 KSCRS Joint Meeting in Seoul, South Korea. KSCRS evolved from the Korean Intraocular Implant Club (KIOIC) established in 1984.
• Malaysian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (MSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing Malaysia.
• Philippine Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (PSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing the Philippines.
• Thai Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (THSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing Thailand.
• Vietnam Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (VSCRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated regional society of APACRS representing Vietnam.
• AlconminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry sponsor supporting APACRS Certified Educator (A.C.E.) awards and industry lunch symposia at annual meetings.
• Johnson & Johnson VisionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry sponsor supporting APACRS Certified Educator (A.C.E.) awards, surgical video symposia, and industry lunch symposia at annual meetings.
• ZEISSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry sponsor supporting APACRS Certified Educator (A.C.E.) awards and industry lunch symposia at annual meetings.
• Bausch + LombminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry sponsor with lunch symposium at 36th APACRS meeting in Chengdu, China (2024).
• SantenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry sponsor with lunch symposium at annual meetings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE): SOE is a pan-European umbrella ophthalmology society with a rotating congress model across European countries. Comparable to APACRS in its federated, rotating-meeting structure and its role as a continental convener for practicing ophthalmologists, though broader in subspecialty coverage.
• Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO): MEACO is a multi-country regional ophthalmology society covering the Middle East and Africa, with a federation and congress model closely analogous to APACRS's structure across 12 affiliates. Comparable scale, mission, and industry-sponsorship dependency.
• All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS): AIOS is India's largest national ophthalmology society and a key peer for APACRS, given India is one of APACRS's largest member markets (co-host of the 37th APACRS meeting in Ahmedabad 2025). Overlapping mission of advancing ophthalmology education and serving practicing surgeons across a high-volume market.
• Japanese Ophthalmological Society (JOS): JOS is the national professional society for ophthalmologists in Japan and an important peer for APACRS, given Japan is a major Asia-Pacific ophthalmology market. JOS operates its own annual congress and CME programming, overlapping with APACRS on the JSCRS affiliate's surgeon base.
• Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth): RCOphth is the UK and Ireland's professional ophthalmology body, comparable in mission (continuing education, clinical standards, awards) but focused on a national rather than multi-country Asian constituency. Useful peer for governance, training, and guideline development comparisons.

Direct peers

• Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO): PAAO is a regional ophthalmology society covering the Americas with a federation model similar to APACRS's 12-affiliate structure. Comparable mission of regional education, congress rotation across member countries, and outreach to practicing ophthalmologists across a multi-country geography.
• American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS): ASCRS is the leading cataract and refractive surgery society for the Americas, with which APACRS co-hosts the Combined Symposium of Cataract and Refractive Societies (CSCRS). They share the same specialist focus, congress model, industry sponsorship dynamics, and target audience of practicing anterior segment surgeons.
• European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS): ESCRS is the European counterpart professional society for cataract and refractive surgeons, partnering with APACRS via the CSCRS joint symposium. Operates an analogous annual congress, awards program, and industry-funded education model serving the same surgical subspecialty globally.

Broad incumbents

• American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO): AAO is the largest comprehensive ophthalmology professional society globally, covering all subspecialties (cataract, retina, glaucoma, oculoplastics) and serving a similar ophthalmologist membership. While broader than APACRS, AAO competes for industry sponsorships, CME programming, and KOL engagement across the same Asia-Pacific surgeon audience.

Emerging players

• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO): ARVO is the global premier ophthalmic research society, complementary to APACRS's clinical-education focus. Shares the same ophthalmologist/researcher membership base and competes for industry research grants, KOL presentations, and journal/conference mindshare.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/873183159379200
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apacrs
• Instagraminstagram.com/apacrs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Asia-Pacific Association of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (APACRS)