China Hosts Global Cataract Training, Aiding Developing Nations’ Eye Health
— October 22, 2024
BEIJING (AIA) The 10th International Training Course on Cataract Prevention and Treatment has officially begun in Changsha, Hunan, China, aiming to enhance global cooperation in eye care.
Organised by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology’s Department of International Cooperation and hosted by AIER Eye Hospital Group, the 15-day training programme brings together 15 ophthalmologists from six countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, including Pakistan, Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, Mongolia, and Mexico.
The participants will receive specialised training in cataract phacoemulsification techniques, a procedure key to treating one of the leading causes of reversible blindness globally. The programme includes lectures, hands-on surgical training, simulator practice, video critiques, and operating room observations, according to China Economic Net (CEN).
Sara Ben Addou Idrissi, an ophthalmologist from Morocco, highlighted the importance of the training. “Cataracts are a major cause of reversible blindness in resource-limited areas, where access to timely treatment is often a challenge. This training will enable us to bring much-needed relief to patients and significantly improve their quality of life,” she said.
The AIER International Clinical Training Centre will serve as the hub for this intensive programme. Renowned experts will guide participants, aiming to share China’s surgical expertise and boost cataract treatment capacity in developing countries. The initiative also seeks to foster academic and clinical exchanges between China and countries along the Belt and Road Initiative.
Since its inception in 2012, this programme—China’s only ophthalmology aid project for developing nations—has trained hundreds of ophthalmologists, benefiting tens of thousands of cataract patients worldwide and contributing to global efforts to prevent blindness.