Commemorating the 125th Anniversary of Professor Chen Yaozhen's Birth

Professor Chen Yaozhen, also known as Eugene Chan (December 1899 – May 1986), a native of Taishan, Guangdong, was an ophthalmologist, National First-Grade Professor, doctoral supervisor, one of the founders of modern ophthalmology in China, and a renowned medical educator. He served as Director of the Ophthalmology Teaching and Research Unit at Zhongshan Medical College, the first President of the Eye Hospital of Zhongshan Medical College, and Honorary President of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center.

From 1928 to 1934, Chen Yaozhen conducted research at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University in the USA, becoming the first Chinese fellow at the institute. In 1965, actively promoted by Chen Yaozhen, Mao Wenshu, and others, the Eye Hospital of Zhongshan Medical College was established – the first ophthalmic hospital affiliated to a Chinese university. In 1983, promoted by Professors Chen Yaozhen and Mao Wenshu, the Ministry of Health approved the establishment of China's first modern multi-functional ophthalmic center at Zhongshan Medical College (renamed Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences in 1985), the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, integrating clinical care, higher education, cutting-edge research, and blindness prevention and treatment. Professor Chen Yaozhen began recruiting and training China's first cohort of postgraduate students in ophthalmology in August 1955; many of his students later became leaders in their respective specialties within national academic groups.

Professor Chen Yaozhen devoted his life to developing modern ophthalmology in China, establishing the foundational research system for Chinese ophthalmology, promoting the historical achievements of Chinese ophthalmology, fostering academic exchanges domestically and internationally. He possessed profound academic accomplishments in the history of Chinese ophthalmology, ancient physiological optics, electro-oculography, visual physiology, and produced a number of internationally significant research achievements with Chinese characteristics. His translation of Charles Henry May’s A Manual of Diseases of the Eye became the first ophthalmology textbook in New China, and he also edited the first "Ophthalmology" textbook for higher medical institutions in China. He published over 100 papers both domestically and internationally.

December 22, 2024, marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Professor Chen Yaozhen, one of the founders of modern ophthalmology in China. To inherit and carry forward Professor Chen's academic spirit, Professor Lin Haotian, Editor-in-Chief of EYE SCIENCE, and Professor Chi-Chao Chan, Guest Editor, have organized a special issue "Commemorating the 125th Anniversary of Professor Chen Yaozhen's Birth," inviting global ophthalmology experts to contribute their latest research findings, thereby paying the highest tribute to Professor Chen Yaozhen.

This special issue was officially launched on December 21, 2024. It is not only an inheritance of the "Yaozhen Spirit" but also a powerful impetus for the development of ophthalmology. Through this special issue, we hope to inspire more innovation among colleagues in ophthalmology, encouraging collaborative efforts to contribute wisdom and strength to the cause of eye health!

About EYE SCIENCE (Yan Ke Xue Bao)

The Chinese edition "Yan Ke Xue Bao" and its English edition "EYE SCIENCE," founded in 1985 by Professor Chen Yaozhen and Professor Mao Wenshu, were China's first ophthalmology academic journal published in both Chinese and English editions with global distribution.

"Yan Ke Xue Bao" is dedicated to promoting global ophthalmology and multidisciplinary collaborative innovation in strategies for eye disease prevention and treatment. Relevant fields include, but are not limited to, basic and clinical ophthalmic research, innovative treatments and translational applications for eye diseases, and advances in ophthalmic epidemiology.

With 39 years of publication, "Yan Ke Xue Bao" has carried and witnessed the leapfrog development of Chinese ophthalmology. EYE SCIENCE is a selected journal of the second phase of the "Action Plan for Excellence of Chinese Scientific Journals."

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