ZEISS "Vision in County" Cataract Development Program Launch in Shandong

JINAN,China,Sept. 9,2020 --The "Vision in County" Cataract Development Program by ZEISS was officially launched in Shandong on September 3,2020. At the event,the first training base was officially established in the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SDUTCM). Among the attendees were Professor Bi Hongsheng,Dean of the Affiliated Eye Hospital of SDUTCM,Tan Junfeng,Head of the Cataract Affairs Division of Carl Zeiss (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.,and Hou Ming,Director of the Public Welfare Department of the CPPVS.

Launching Ceremony of the Training Base for "Vision in County"

ZEISS' initiative to boost medical capacity in county hospitals

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in the world. At present,the number of cataract patients in China exceeds 20 million,among which nearly 600,000 are impoverished patients. Inadequate access to surgery is a prominent reason that keeps them away from necessary treatment. Improving surgical capacity by training additional surgeons and providing equipment could help to address this issue.

ZEISS launched the "Vision in County" Cataract Development Program aimed at strengthening the building of grass-roots professional ophthalmologist team,contributing to poverty alleviation,and promoting a high-quality development of eye-care and cataract surgery services. Following the initiative,ZEISS will cooperate with domestic excellent cataract surgery centers and expert teams to build cataract training bases. It will comprehensively improve the cataract treatment capabilities of hospitals at low-tier-cityand county level,and at the same time,to give more patients access to high-quality cataract surgeries and restore clear vision to them.

Professor Bi Hongsheng,Director of the Affiliated Eye Hospital of SDUTCM said: "The 'Vision in County' initiative has brought a set of curriculum system that is applicable to the ophthalmology medical services at the primary level in Shandong Province. I believe that our training base can bring standardized cataract treatment teams for hospitals at the primary level,shift the county doctors from cataract surgery assistant to real surgeons and bring light to many more township patients. "

Professor Bi Hongsheng,Director of the Affiliated Eye Hospital of SDUTCM

First training base in Shandong to benefit local people

Due to the lack of resources for eye surgery and the uneven distribution between urban and rural areas,a large number of sufferers of cataract and other blindness-causing eye diseases have no access to proper medical services in Shandong. The implementation of the "Vision in County" initiative will effectively cope with the urgent demand for training on diagnosis and treatment of standardized cataract and surgical skills by ophthalmologists in county-level hospitals in Shandong.

Professor Wang Xingrong,Vice President of the Affiliated Eye Hospital of SDUTCM,signed a contract with Yuan Bo,head of the Medical Affairs Department of Carl Zeiss (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.

On September 3,the first training base of the "Vision in County" officially launched at the Affiliated Eye Hospital of SDUTCM. The first training course recruits 4 trainees from ophthalmologists in county-level public hospitals. The hospital will undertake the training and teaching tasks. The course adopts an training system that combines theory and practice,and develops personalized training programs for students,covering systematic theory of cataract phacoemulsification surgery,animal eye practice operations,1-to-1 field surgery instructions,pre-operative examination operation and report reading,observation in the outpatient clinic and operating room,surgical video analysis,case analysis,postoperative follow-up,conversation with patients,et cetera. In the next five years,the base will continue to offer specialized courses,aiming to cultivate 30 core ophthalmology doctors for primary medical institutions,thus providing an innovative and sustainable development model for ophthalmology development in Shandong Province,increasing the CSR value of the counties to 3,600.

Maxwell Liu,Head of Sales and Service China,ZEISS Medical Technology,said: "Capacity building of primary medical staff is the top priority to quicken the pace in popularizing cataract surgery. Now,we launch the 'Vision in County' cataract capacity building project to help county-level medical staff serve patients with a more standardized clinical pathways,and more comprehensive surgery and nursing skills."

Maxwell Liu,ZEISS Medical Technology

ZEISS makes long-term commitment to bring brightness in China

As a global pioneer in the field of optics and optoelectronics,ZEISS has been actively cooperating with all walks of life in recent years. By providing innovative products,advanced solutions and strong technical support,ZEISS has built strong support for improving the treatment capabilities of cataracts and other eye diseases in China.

As early as 2012,ZEISS pioneered the education and training program for professional doctors and established a standardized doctor training and quality management system nationwide. Relying on the Shantou International Ophthalmic Cataract Microsurgery Training Center,ZEISS has trained 3,949 doctors regarding cataract surgery for hospitals at all levels in 122 coverage areas,successfully trained 520 independent surgeons,who completed more than 220,000 surgeries independently.

Hou Ming,Director of the CPPVSsaid at the launching ceremony: "TheVision in County' initiative of ZEISS organically integrates the excellent faculties and rich experience of hospitals with the advanced technology and strong capabilities of the company,which makes positive contributions to winning the battle against poverty."

Hou Ming,Director of the CPPVS

In order to help patients with eye diseases living in the remote and poverty-stricken areas in Shandong Province,ZEISS donated one set of OPMI LUMERA 300 ophthalmic microscope to the Shandong Light Charity Foundation. In addition,ZEISS also donated a special fund of 100,000 yuan for cataract education to support the capacity training and discipline construction of doctors in county-level hospitals.

Donation at the Launch Event

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year,the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling more than 6.4 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology,Industrial Quality & Research,Medical Technology and Consumer Markets (status: 30 September 2019).

For its customers,ZEISS develops,produces and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance,microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research,and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics,which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses,camera lenses and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization,healthcare and Smart Production and a strong brand,ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company's significant,sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership.

With over 31,000 employees,ZEISS is active globally in almost 50 countries with around 60 sales and service companies,30 production sites and 25 development sites. Founded in 1846 in Jena,the company is headquartered in Oberkochen,Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation,one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science,is the sole owner of the holding company,Carl Zeiss AG

Further Information: www.zeiss.com

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