On June 21, an AI-based eye care volunteer service station, a project from the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC) of Sun Yat-sen University, debuted at the Volunteer Service Theme Park in Dafu Mountain, Panyu District, Guangzhou. It is set to officially start providing services to the public soon.
This station is a comprehensive grassroots eye-health service platform that integrates multiple functions. It offers eye-health education, utilizes an AI-powered large model for intelligent eye-disease screening and diagnosis, provides convenient vision tests and compliance certificates, and serves as an emergency eye-health site.
The goal of the project is to establish a replicable and scalable service mechanism, accumulating experience and setting a benchmark for future province-wide promotion.
"People can receive professional ophthalmic examinations, screenings, diagnoses, and even some treatments without having to go to a hospital. It offers intelligent, precise, convenient, and free services," said Li Tao, Deputy Director of ZOC.
Currently, there are only about 65,000 ophthalmologists in the country to cater to the eye-health needs of a population of 1.4 billion. The establishment of the AI-based eye care volunteer service station encourages the general public to participate in eye-health management, making them the primary actors in eye protection and care.
In the future, more such stations will be set up in high-traffic areas like parks, subway stations, and shopping malls. Additionally, teams composed of medical staff and professionally trained volunteers will serve the public's eye-health needs.
Meanwhile, an eye-health science exhibition on site has also caught the attention of many people. The doctor team from ZOC shared knowledge on myopia prevention at a free clinic stall. "Ensure at least 2 hours of outdoor activities every day. When doing homework, the indoor lighting should be sufficient. Keep a distance of over 30 centimeters between your eyes and the book, and take a 10-20 minute break every 30-40 minutes," they advised.
According to ZOC, such volunteer activities aim to pave an innovative path for the popularization of universal medical resources by cultivating a replicable volunteer service model. Through the spread of volunteer service culture, it seeks to disseminate scientific concepts and ensure that high-quality ophthalmic services benefit every resident.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | Nanfang Plus
Editor | Hu Nan, James, Shen He
