Introduction to the Office for the Prevention and Treatment of Blindness

The Office for the Prevention and Treatment of Blindness at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC) was established in 1983. Professor Chen Yaozhen and Professor Mao Wenshu, founders of ZOC and pioneers of Chinese ophthalmology, prioritized blindness prevention initiatives as early as the 1930s, dispatching medical teams to rural grassroots communities and remote regions across China to conduct blindness screening and treatment. Successive leaders of ZOC have consistently supported this mission. The Office’s primary responsibilities encompass medical poverty alleviation, ophthalmic epidemiological research, promotion of prevention and treatment technologies for common blinding eye diseases, and the research and dissemination of blindness prevention models.

Serving Society:

Upholding its public welfare commitment, the Office organizes annual medical missions to regions including Linzhi, Changdu, and Naqu in Tibet; Yushu in Qinghai; Urumqi and Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Fengqing in Yunnan; Baise in Guangxi; Chengxian in Gansu; Yudu in Jiangxi; and various locations within Guangdong Province. These missions provide free clinics, free sight-restoring surgeries, advanced surgical training, and support for disciplinary development, continuously advancing the cause of public health service.

International Medical Aid:

Responding to national calls, the Office has organized multiple medical teams to provide international aid in Pacific Island nations (Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, Nauru), the Maldives, Dominica and African countries (e.g., Ghana, Senegal, Zimbabwe). Activities include surgical camps and capacity-building support, earning high international recognition.

Scientific Research:

The Office is dedicated to ophthalmic epidemiology research, focusing on visual impairment and blindness prevalence in Southern China, adolescent myopia epidemiology, prevention strategies, and community-based management of diabetic retinopathy.

Model Innovation:

The Office pioneers and promotes innovative blindness prevention models, shifting from "relief-based poverty alleviation" to "developmental poverty alleviation." By dispatching dedicated trainers to grassroots hospitals for hands-on mentoring until local teams can independently perform cataract surgeries, it establishes self-sustaining medical capacity in underserved areas.

International Collaboration:

The Office actively collaborates with global blindness prevention organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), ORBIS International, and the Helen Keller International Foundation. These partnerships advance research and promotion of blindness prevention policies and innovative models, continuously deepening global efforts against avoidable blindness.