The "Eye Health in the Western Pacific: Evaluation and Action" conference was held at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, in Guangzhou from September 18 to September 19.
More than 90 ophthalmologists and health officials from 20 countries, including the United States, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and Malaysia, held in-depth discussions on the state of eye health in the Western Pacific and pathways for action.
Photo: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University
Photo: Chen Jinxia
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2.2 billion people globally have vision impairment, and in at least 1 billion cases, the impairment could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. The Western Pacific region has a large population and faces major shifts in disease patterns, a high prevalence of myopia and a growing burden of eye conditions related to chronic diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
Professor Liang Lingyi, deputy director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, said, "This meeting aims to respond to WHO's Integrated People-Centred Eye Care and global strategies on refractive errors and cataracts, and to pool regional efforts to achieve the 2030 global eye health targets on schedule."
Photo: Chen Jinxia
She noted that since the official launch of the center's international medical services in April this year, figures through September have shown steady growth, with about 300 patient visits recorded, including visits by foreign patients from 26 countries.
According to Liang, the center will deepen eye health cooperation in three areas. First, it will improve its digital primary eye care model and promote affordable solutions across the Western Pacific. Second, it will advance technologies such as AI screening and 5G mobile clinics. Third, it will work with WHO, international organizations and regional experts to expand exchanges, training and collaboration.
Photo: Chen Jinxia
Neil Bressler, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said there is a tremendous amount of investigation in China into how AI might be used to manage, diagnose and follow eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
"Clearly, there are excellent clinical trials being done in China that teach us around the world how we might apply new treatments or use new devices," he said. "So these are very important and are shared with all of our colleagues around the world. And that is one reason why I'm glad to be working here and collaborating with all of them."
Stuart Keel, a technical officer at WHO, said, "There's a big opportunity during this meeting for other countries to learn from these experiences." He added that China could also provide technical support in implementing such programs in other countries in the region.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
