An innovation alliance aimed at advancing the high-quality development of ophthalmology was launched on February 1 at the 2026 Guangdong Conference on High-Quality Development of Ophthalmology, held at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University.
The initiative was announced by Lin Haotian, Director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, during the conference.
According to Lin, the alliance will focus on six priority areas, including interdisciplinary digital integration, commercialization of research outcomes, resource sharing, and talent development. By pooling resources from government, academia, industry, and healthcare, the alliance will transcend traditional disciplinary and industrial boundaries to create a cohesive ecosystem for innovation.
The alliance plans to build a cross-sector innovation platform combining ophthalmology, artificial intelligence and biomedicine. Research efforts will target areas such as AI-assisted diagnostic models, ophthalmic surgical robots, gene therapy and stem cell-based treatments, with the aim of strengthening links between research and clinical practice.
Lin said new technologies are already being applied in eye disease screening and prevention, including smartphone-based screening tools and AI models. In clinical services, 5G-enabled mobile ophthalmic clinics are being used to provide on-site examinations and routine eye care, particularly in communities with limited access to medical resources.
"The purpose of establishing the alliance is to collaborate with more companies to reduce the cost of 5G-enabled smart ophthalmic mobile clinics and achieve mass production, so that eye care services can reach more people," Lin said.
"At the same time, as we scale up deployment, we are also evaluating how to improve effectiveness, with the aim of developing a model that can be promoted nationwide and eventually globally."
At least ten mobile ophthalmic clinics are expected to be deployed in Guangdong in the future, enabling more residents to receive eye care services closer to home, Lin said.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University
