Tzu Chi Eye Center (TCEC) medical director Dr. Bernardita Navarro received the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) during the 40th APAO Congress, held from 3 to 6 April in New Delhi, India.

Navarro was one of 21 ophthalmologists from the Asia-Pacific region recognized with the prestigious award for her significant and ongoing contributions to advancing ophthalmology in the Philippines, the Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines said in a Facebook post dated 7 April.

Navarro specializes in cornea, external diseases, and refractive surgery. She is also an educator, advocate, and a philanthropist.

Since 2001, in between holding private clinics, Navarro has volunteered in Tzu Chi Foundation’s medical outreach programs across the Philippines. In 2018, with the opening of the TCEC in Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila, she assumed the role of its medical director, leading the Center’s mission of providing free, high-quality eye care and surgeries to low-income patients. Between 2018 and 2024, the center has served nearly 95,000 patients.

Currently, Navarro teaches at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery’s Departments of Ophthalmology and Physiology. In 2023, she also served as president of the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines.

TCEC’s volunteer retina specialists also participated in this year’s APAO Congress as symposium presenters and panelists. Dr. Carlo Nasol, head of the TCEC Retina Section, discussed updates and management strategies for diabetic tractional retinal detachments, while Dr. Janice Marie Jordan-Yu shared tips and techniques for handling traumatic retinal detachments.

Founded in 1960, the APAO is a crucial platform promoting stronger relationships among ophthalmologists and societies in the Asia-Pacific region. It promotes blindness prevention and sight restoration through service, research, teaching and education.