The "Eye Health in the Western Pacific: Evaluation and Action" conference was held in Guangzhou from September 18th to 19th. The meeting was hosted by the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University (WHO Collaborating Centre for Eye Care and Vision), and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

More than 90 ophthalmologists, health officials and representatives of international organizations from 20 countries, including the United States, New Zealand, South Koreaand Singapore, gathered in Guangzhou toengage in in-depth discussions on the state of eye health in the Western Pacific and pathways for action.

According to the "World Report on Vision" published by the WHO, at least 2.2 billion people around the world have a vision impairment, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. The Western Pacific Region has a large population and has undergone significant changes in its disease patterns. The region has a high prevalence of myopia, while the burden of eye conditions related to chronic diseases such as diabetic retinopathy continues to increase.

Stuart Keel, a technical lead at WHO headquarters, said China has long been a leader in refractive error control and in addressing problems such as myopia. He said such a conference brings countries across the Western Pacific Region together to learn from China's experience and gain insights into the approaches China has adopted to address these challenges within the WHO.

Andreas Mueller, a technical adviser at WHO headquarters, noted that artificial intelligence(AI) plays an important role in the early diagnosis of eye diseases, adding that China is truly at the forefront in this field. In particular, China has developed AI-based approaches capable of accurately detecting diabetic eye diseases among people with diabetes and has established referral pathways. Other countries can learn from this experience, while Chinese counterparts can also provide technical support for regional projects.

Source:PEARL

20国专家齐聚广州，共探西太平洋地区眼健康

9月18日-19日，西太平洋地区眼健康会议在广州举行。会议由中山大学中山眼科中心（世界卫生组织眼健康与视觉合作中心）主办，世界卫生组织支持。

来自美国、新西兰、韩国、新加坡等20个国家的90余位眼科专家学者、卫生官员及国际组织代表齐聚广州，围绕西太平洋区域眼健康现状评估与行动路径深入交流。

世界卫生组织《世界视力报告》显示，全球至少有22亿人存在视力损伤，其中至少10亿人的视力问题本可预防或尚待解决。西太平洋区域人口众多，疾病谱发生显著转变，近视高发，糖尿病视网膜病变等慢性病相关眼病负担持续加重。

世界卫生组织总部技术负责人Stuart Keel表示，中国在屈光不正控制和解决近视等问题方面一直处于领先地位，这样的会议让西太平洋地区其他国家聚在一起，听取中国经验，学习中国在世卫组织中采取的解决方法。

世界卫生组织总部技术顾问Andreas Mueller指出，人工智能在眼科疾病早诊断方面扮演重要角色，中国在这一领域真正领先。尤其在糖尿病患者中，中国已探索出AI准确检测糖尿病眼病的模式，并建立转诊途径。其他国家可学习经验，中国同行也能为区域项目提供技术支持。

文、图｜记者 朱嘉乐
通讯员 邰梦云 唐艳丽 薛本立
译｜魏薇
英文审校｜盛嘉