Dear all the members of The Korean Optometry Society.
It is a privilege to greet you as the new Chairman of the Korean Optometry Society, and I send you my best wishes for health and happiness in 2021.
The Korean Optometry Society was inaugurated in 2001, at the beginning of the new millennium, and welcomes its 20th anniversary this year. Our Society plays an important role in protecting the visual health of our citizens through optometry. After being accepted as an affiliated member society of the Korea Academy of Medical Sciences in 2018, it has developed into a society which fuses various subspecialties such as refraction, cornea, glaucoma, retina, strabismus and oculoplastic surgery. Such progress would not have been possible without the strong support and encouragement of the key societies, the Ophthalmology Society and the Ophthalmologists Association. I would like to thank the former presidents and executives who have worked hard for the development of the Society, and all those who have extended a helping hand.
We are now entering the “homo hundred era” where life expectancy has increased exponentially, to 80 years and beyond. In our “untact” digital age, visual impairment can rupture connections with the outside world, resulting in depression, anxiety and other emotional issues. The illnesses which are the leading causes of vision loss, such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy all present little or no symptoms at the onset, but grow increasingly worse with age. As such, the importance of optometry cannot be overestimated, and optometry is indispensable throughout all stages of life and in all age groups, from children to the elderly.
Eye examinations must be able to correct vision and provide an early diagnosis of ophthalmic diseases which can lead to vision loss, through use of refraction tests and various diagnostic and imaging equipment. For accurate optometry, therefore, understanding of ophthalmic diseases and examination equipment, in addition to knowledge of optics and refraction, is essential, together with a comprehensive approach combining the various specialized fields. It is my wish that the Korean Optometry Society continues to develop as a society which protects the visual health of our citizens and continuously looks to the future. I am grateful for your trust in electing me as Chairman of the Society, and pledge to work tirelessly for its progress. Thank you.
