- TFOS Ambassadors
Panama
Rita Yee
Dr. Rita Angélica Yee Chan is a Panamanian ophthalmologist with training in cornea, refractive surgery, ocular surface, and anterior segment. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Centro América in Costa Rica and completed her Ophthalmology residency and Cornea and Refractive Surgery fellowship at the Instituto de Oftalmología Fundacion Conde de Valenciana in Mexico, accredited by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and Political Science from Universidad Latina de Panamá, a background that complements her medical work with an academic and ethical understanding of health management and public responsibility.
Throughout her career, she has combined clinical practice and visual health management with social commitment and teaching. She served as President of the Panamanian Society of Ophthalmology (2016–2020) and was an active member of the National Vision 2020 Committee at Hospital Santo Tomás, promoting strategies to improve access and quality of ophthalmic care in Panama. Since 2010, she has been an active member of the National Vision 2020 Committee, contributing to the development of the National Eye Health Plan 2010–2020. In 2013, she participated in the first Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) in Panama, and in 2014, she conducted a situational study of ophthalmology in the country, later taking part in the Regional Workshop on Eye Health aimed at strengthening public ophthalmology services. In September 2020, she contributed to the development of the National Neonatal Visual Screening Guideline, helping establish national standards for the early detection of visual disorders in newborns. She has participated in social initiatives and outreach campaigns for blindness prevention for over fifteen years, such as “Niño Sano, Niño Feliz,” with a special focus on free strabismus surgeries for children, as well as cataract-thons and eye health missions, which provide free cataract surgeries and visual care to low-income populations across different regions of the country. In her Law thesis, she wrote “The Responsibility of the Panamanian State in the Operacion Milagro Project,” reflecting her interest in the relationship between public eye health, the practice of ophthalmology, and citizens’ rights.
Her clinical practice focuses on the management of complex ocular surface diseases, corneal transplantation, refractive surgery, keratoconus, cataract surgery, and anterior segment reconstruction. She recently obtained certification in the management and prevention of myopia progression, incorporating new therapeutic strategies within this growing field of ophthalmology. She has more than twenty years of experience in private practice at Clínica Yee – Instituto de Microcirugía Ocular, the largest ophthalmic center in the country, recognized for its high surgical volume and comprehensive approach to visual health. In addition, she has over fifteen years of experience in public service at Hospital Santo Tomás, a tertiary-level reference center in ophthalmology, where she is responsible for the Corneal Transplant Program of the institution. She has also contributed to the training of new generations of ophthalmologists and optometrists, serving as a thesis advisor and university lecturer. In 2019, she participated in the development of the Ophthalmology Residency Program and the Doctorate of Clinical Sciences with specialization in Ophthalmology at the University of Panama, helping to strengthen specialized medical education in the country.
She has participated as an author and co-author in research on corneal ulcer, ocular trauma, corneal transplantation in Panama, endothelial keratoplasty, keratoconus, dry eye disease, LASIK, cataract, intraocular lens implantation with scleral fixation, confocal microscopy, retinal vascular occlusions, matrix metalloproteinases in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, and epidemiological studies on avoidable blindness in Panama. Throughout her career, she has shared her work and experience in more than fifty scientific meetings and congresses, both national and international, including events of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO), the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the World Ophthalmology Congress, the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS), the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), the World Cornea Congress, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), among others. In total, she has attended more than one hundred and fifty scientific congresses, courses, and professional meetings, maintaining an active role in continuing education and academic exchange.
Her work has been recognized with academic and professional distinctions that reflect her dedication to medicine, teaching, and institutional service. Over the years, she has contributed to the advancement of ophthalmology in Panama, combining clinical practice with teaching and program development aimed at improving visual care and preventing blindness.
