In order to share new theories, new progress and new experience in myopia prevention and control, meet the challenges of eye care management, and further promote the myopia control and eye care management in western China, 2022 West China International Myopia Control and Eye Care Symposium was grandly held online on September 17, 2022. The conference was sponsored by Sichuan Medical Association, Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association (SCIMEA) and Sichuan Ophthalmology & Optometry Society, organized by Optometry Group of Sichuan Medical Association, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, West China Hospital–Western China Optometric Alliance, Eye Health Care Branch of Sichuan Preventive Medicine Association, the Specialized Committee of Eye Care of SCIMEA, and co-organized by Western China Optometry Expert Committee.

The opening ceremony was attended by Prof. Liu Longqian, Chairman of the Specialized Committee of Eye Care of SCIMEA, Director of Department of  Ophthalmology & Optometry of West China School of Medicine and Director of Ophthalmology Department of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Prof. Zeng Bin, Deputy Secretary General of Sichuan Medical Association, Prof. Qu Jia, Deputy Chairman of Chinese Ophthalmological Society, Mr. Fan Zemin, Deputy Director General of Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education, Ministry of Education,  Prof. Wang Ningli, Dean of the School of Ophthalmology, Capital Medical University, Prof. Zhao Kanxing, Lifetime Honorary Chairman of the Strabismus and Pediatric Ophthalmology Group of Chinese Ophthalmological Society, Prof. Sun Xinghuai, Chairman-designate of Chinese Ophthalmological Society, Prof. Lv Fan, Head of the Optometry Group of Chinese Ophthalmological Society; Prof. Xie Peiying, Chairman of the Optometry Committee of the Chinese Medical Women’s  Association, Prof. Liu Zuguo, President-designate of Asia Dry Eye Society and President of the society in China, Prof. Chiho To, Head of School of Optometry, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Prof. Pauline Cho, a distinguished professor of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Prof. Li Lihua, Director of the Optometric Center, Tianjin Eye Hospital, Prof. Wei Ruihua, Secretary of the Party Committee, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital and College of Optometry; Prof. Yang Xiao, Deputy Head of the Optometry Group of Chinese Ophthalmological Society, Prof. Wang Yusheng, Deputy Head of the Fundus Diseases Group of Chinese Ophthalmological Society, Prof. Li Zhimin, President (Business) of Guizhou Bright Eye Hospital, and international scholars from UK, USA, Australia, etc.

The opening ceremony of the conference was presided over by Prof. Ma Ke from West China Hospital of Sichuan University. In light of the current severe situation of epidemic prevention and control, this conference was held online. Prof. Ma Ke expressed sincere thanks and warm welcome to all the leaders, guests, delegates and medical colleagues who attended the conference online.

The conference will focus on the themes of “optometry, ophthalmology, eye care preventive medicine and disease control, health management and education, etc.”, and discuss the frontier hot issues in the field of myopia control and eye care in the form of lectures, case sharing and case discussion, with the aim of further exploring and  innovating in organizational construction, academic exchange and talent training, promote academic exchange and cooperation in myopia control and eye care, and improve the level of medical technology and scientific research in this field.

Prof. Ma Ke presides over the opening ceremony.

Prof. Liu Longqian from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Prof. Zeng Bin, Deputy Secretary General of Sichuan Medical Association, and Prof. Qu Jia, Deputy Chairman of Chinese Ophthalmological Society, delivered speeches successively. 

On behalf of the organizing committee, Prof. Liu Longqian expressed the warmest welcome to all the guests and colleagues who attended the meeting online. Prof. Liu pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected people’s health, but also changed people’s lifestyles. During the pandemic, the online office mode is popular among the public, which to a certain extent has a huge impact on people’s eyesight and brings many eye health problems, which is not only an urgent problem for optometric practitioners, but also one of the reasons for holding the West China International Myopia Control and Eye Care Symposium. In face of patients’ demand for improved visual function, there is still a huge gap between the medical services that medical institutions can provide and have provided, and ophthalmological clinicians have a special mission and shoulders a difficult task. We should uphold the “people-oriented” concept, strengthen medical training, diligently study the discipline, improve professional ability, and solve the problems of the people, and contribute to improving ophthalmological diagnosis and treatment level.

Prof. Liu Longqian delivers a speech.

Deputy Secretary General Zeng Bin of Sichuan Medical Association warmly congratulated on the conference and expressed his heartfelt thanks to all the experts for their hard work. Mr. Zeng mentioned that the eyes are the windows of the soul and are important organs of perception for human beings. Eye health not only involves the whole life cycle of people of all ages, but also is a public health issue involving people's well-being. At present, myopia among adolescents in China is showing a trend of high incidence and low age, and the demand of patients to improve the visual function is increasing. Strengthening myopia control among adolescents, popularizing the knowledge of eye care, improving the diagnosis and treatment of visual diseases, cultivating optometric talents and enriching ophthalmic medical resources are issues of great concern to the health administration and the whole society. Mr. Zeng hoped that through this conference, extensive and in-depth academic discussions will be held on the hot and difficult issues of myopia control and eye care, and ophthalmologists and optometrists in Sichuan province will take the initiative to match high-quality resources with related fields nationwide, comprehensively implement the “Health China” Action, make efforts to carry out health education and publicity, continue to strengthen the guidance of discipline construction and talent training, further increase academic exchanges and cooperation with the international community, do a good job of tracking, the introducing and promoting cutting-edge technology, and make important contributions to improving the clinical research capabilities and treatment level of ophthalmology & optometry in Sichuan.

Deputy Secretary General Zeng Bin of Sichuan Medical Association delivers a speech.

Prof. Qu Jia said that since the West China International Myopia Control and Eye Care Symposium was held in 2016, under the joint efforts of ophthalmologists, not only the expert publicity mission, but also the school dean publicity mission, administrative leadership publicity mission and parent publicity mission were established, which created a good atmosphere for health education and publicity, helped reduce the incidence of myopia and prompted further professional development of myopia prevention and control. Prof. Qu hoped that the medical staff of ophthalmology would keep abreast of the frontiers of discipline development, strive to explore the unknown areas of the discipline, conscientiously implement the “Health China” strategy with the striving energy, speed up the implementation of the “Healthy Sichuan” Action and guard people's health.

Prof. Qu Jia delivers a speech.

After the opening ceremony, Prof. Qu Jia from Wenzhou Medical University, Prof. Fan Zemin from the Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education, Ministry of Education, and Prof. Wang Ningli from Capital Medical University were invited to give presentations respectively on “Interpretation of the ‘Expert Consensus on Application of Low-Concentration Atropine Eye Drops in the Prevention and Control of Myopia in Children and Adolescents’ (2022 Edition)”, “Historical Breakthroughs in Myopia Prevention and Control in China in the New Era”, and “Pain Spots, Priorities and Difficulties in Myopia Prevention and Control for Children and Adolescents”. 

“Interpretation of the ‘Expert Consensus on Application of Low-Concentration Atropine Eye Drops in the Prevention and Control of Myopia in Children and Adolescents (2022 Edition)”, by Prof. Qu Jia, Wenzhou Medical University

“Historical Breakthroughs in Myopia Prevention and Control in China in the New Era”. By Prof. Fan Zemin, Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education, Ministry of Education

“Pain Spots, Priorities and Difficulties in Myopia Prevention and Control for Children and Adolescents”, by Prof. Wang Ningli, Capital Medical University,

After the opening ceremony, the five thematic forums of “Optometry Growth Path”, “Optometry Education Forum”, “Special Science Popularization Session—Meet-the-Experts”, “Remote Case Analysis”, and “Optometry Center Construction” will be opened simultaneously with special academic lectures. We will take this conference as an opportunity to widely connect experts and scholars in the field of myopia prevention and control and eye care at home and abroad, follow the frontier of international ophthalmology, accelerate the development of ophthalmology, discuss the hot and difficult issues of myopia prevention and control and eye care, explore the future development of optometry, and contribute more wisdom to the realization of the “Health China 2030” plan and the protection of people's life and health. 

On the evening of September 16, the plenary meeting of the Specialized Committee of Eye Care of SCIMEA was successfully held. During the meeting, experts discussed how to do a good job in myopia prevention and control and eye care. The members of the Specialized Committee of Eye Care of SCIMEA mentioned the current lack of attention to the development of eye vision of premature babies and low weight babies in China, and emphasized that we should not only pay attention to the myopia of adolescents, but also improve the care for the eye health of the elderly population, focusing on the whole life cycle. They also expressed the need to share more about the latest progress and guidance in the field of eye care, etc., actively hold academic activities and popularization activities related to eye care, form small teams with special fields, regularly carry out special case discussions, improve the clinical treatment ability of medical personnel in the field of ophthalmology through academic exchanges and discussions, and build a talent team. It is believed that this conference will play a certain guiding role in clarifying the tasks and directions of myopia prevention and control and eye care in Sichuan province in the future, thus promoting the rapid development of eye care in Sichuan.

Specialized Committee of Eye Care of SCIMEA 

Group photo of the third plenary meeting of the first committee