Singapore National Eye Centre hosts its largest international ophthalmology conference at the 8th Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Congress

·       New innovations in glaucoma use deep learning AI to drastically improve patient care and prevent blindness from the disease

·       The meeting commemorates SNEC’s 35^th anniversary and achievements in Singapore’s ophthalmology scene since its founding

Singapore, 24 July 2026 – The Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) launched its 35th Anniversary International Meeting this morning at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. The meeting, held from today to 26 July 2026, brings together over 2,300 delegates and 330 distinguished international faculty of top specialists in ophthalmology from around the world to share the latest advancements in treatment of major eye diseases, AI applications in ophthalmology, novel imaging and surgical techniques, pivotal clinical trial results and best practices to help overcome challenges in ophthalmic medicine and surgery.

The meeting comprises 14 keynote lectures by renowned international ophthalmology experts, 35 symposia sessions and 15 masterclasses across the three days. Minister for Foreign Affairs and former SNEC Medical Director Dr Vivian Balakrishnan also delivered a video message at the opening ceremony.

G-PROG: Leveraging AI to predict glaucoma progression rate to prevent blindness

Held in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society’s (APGS) 8th Congress for the first time, the meeting also brought glaucoma specialists together to discuss advances in glaucoma research and treatment, and exchange best practices in surgery and clinical care.

Among the studies featured is G-PROG, a deep learning AI model that estimates a patient's future rate of glaucoma progression over the next two to five years from the point of diagnosis. The AI model uses a patient’s fundus (back of the eye) photograph, which is an existing procedure taken by clinicians so no new equipment nor additional tests are required on the patient. Developed and tested on data from nearly 14,000 patients in four countries, the model correctly ranked a fast-progressing eye above a stable eye in 74 to 86 per cent of comparisons.

“Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve and once that nerve is damaged, it is irreversible. Prior to G-PROG, this information on how fast a patient’s glaucoma progresses typically takes years of follow-up to establish. In that time, patients can continue to lose their vision progressively. Current treatment only seeks to prevent or slow down glaucoma progression so it is very much a race against time. With the algorithm in place, we can determine how aggressively a patient should be treated right from the day of their diagnosis; whether they will require earlier surgery or closer monitoring. This provides glaucoma patients a better chance at preserving their vision,” said Professor Leopold Schmetterer, principal investigator of the G-PROG study, and Senior Scientific Director & Head of Ocular Imaging Research Group at Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI).

Celebrating 35 years of International Eminence in Ophthalmology

This year’s meeting is especially momentous as it marks SNEC’s largest international conference since its opening in 1990, when its founding father, the late Professor Arthur Lim, envisioned a world-class eye centre that would place Singapore on the global map for ophthalmology.

Over the years, through the dedication of its staff and leaders, SNEC’s and SERI’s vision of International Eminence in Ophthalmology has culminated in both institutions recognised globally for clinical, research and teaching excellence. SNEC and SERI are consistently within the top 5 of many world rankings of eye institutes. In 2024, SNEC and SERI ranked 2^nd eye institute in the world by SciMago, and in 2025, SERI was also ranked 1^st in ophthalmology among all non-academic institutes, and 2^nd in ophthalmology among all institutes in the ScholarGPS rankings.

“We are honoured to be hosting the SNEC 35^th Anniversary International Meeting and 8^th Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Congress this year. Being the largest conference that we have held to date, this is a major milestone for us. We are excited to meet with eye specialists from all over the world over the next few days, to learn from one another across a wide spectrum of ophthalmology sub-specialties, strengthen collaborations and forge new ones. Ultimately, we hope to provide a platform for all attendees to hone their skills as eye care professionals so that they can bring back learnings to benefit patients,” shared SNEC Chief Executive Officer Professor Aung Tin.

SNEC and SERI are members of the SingHealth group, Singapore’s largest and leading public healthcare cluster.