Department of Ophthalmology
Department of Ophthalmology

The Department of Ophthalmology boasts a long and distinguished history. Renowned Chinese ophthalmology experts, Professors Chen Yaozhen and Mao Wenshu, once practiced here. Through years of development, its professional and technical standards have continuously improved, earning it a high reputation both within and outside the province. Currently, the department serves as the Deputy Chair Unit of the Ophthalmology Physician Branch of the Guangdong Medical Doctor Association and the Head Unit of its Eye and Systemic Diseases Group, as well as the Chair Unit of the Eye and Systemic Diseases Professional Committee of the Guangdong Eye Health Association. It is also a National Standardized Residency Training Base, a National Drug Clinical Trial Base, and an authorized unit for conferring doctoral and master's degrees in Ophthalmology at Sun Yat-sen University.
The department currently has 43 medical staff, including 20 physicians. Among them are 2 professors/chief physicians, 3 associate professors/associate chief physicians, 5 attending physicians/lecturers, and 10 resident physicians. The faculty includes 1 doctoral supervisor and 3 master's supervisors. Annually, the department handles nearly 60,000 outpatient visits and admits approximately 1,500 inpatients. It operates specialized and professor clinics for conditions including glaucoma, cataract, fundus diseases, oculoplastics and strabismus, adolescent eye care, retinopathy of prematurity screening, eye and systemic diseases, and lacrimal drainage system disorders. The department has accumulated extensive experience in diagnosing and treating eye diseases related to systemic conditions, including diabetes-related eye diseases, thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, rheumatic immune-related eye diseases, radiation-induced optic neuropathy and retinopathy, as well as in adolescent eye care.
The department is equipped with a series of advanced domestic and international ophthalmic diagnostic and therapeutic devices, such as Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (Angio-OCT), high-speed vitrectomy systems, phacoemulsification units for cataract surgery, excimer laser systems for refractive surgery, micropulse retinal lasers and YAG anterior segment lasers, wide-field imaging systems for pediatric fundus examination, laser confocal fundus angiography systems, electrophysiology testing systems, Ultrasound Biomicroscopy (UBM), automated perimeters, and ZEISS surgical microscopes. Since initiating excimer laser treatment for myopia in 2003, the department has completed over ten thousand such procedures. Concurrently, it conducts scientific research and teaching on various eye diseases, having previously received provincial-level scientific research achievement awards and trained a large number of outstanding ophthalmic professionals. In recent years, the department has led or participated in more than 20 funded research projects from sources including the National Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, and the Guangdong Medical Science Foundation. It has published over 100 professional articles, including nearly 40 SCI-indexed papers, and contributed as deputy editor or co-author to 7 monographs. Annually, the department regularly hosts the Yixian Ophthalmology Forum and national continuing education projects, providing a high-level academic exchange platform for ophthalmology peers and related medical personnel. It also dispatches physicians for medical assistance within and outside the province and regularly organizes free clinics and lectures in communities to serve the public. The department has consistently received the hospital's Medical Quality Management Excellence Award (First and Second Prizes) and the Best Quality and Safety Management Excellence Award for multiple years. In 2018 and 2019, the Ophthalmology Department Party Branch was honored with the hospital's Outstanding Party Branch title.

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Featured Medical Technology

Leveraging the strong comprehensive capabilities of SYSMH, the department has established multidisciplinary consultations (MDT) for various complex and challenging eye diseases related to systemic conditions. In collaboration with key related disciplines, we have formed clinical teams for diabetic retinopathy, thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, rheumatic immune-related eye diseases, radiation-induced optic neuropathy and retinopathy, and pediatric eye diseases. These teams focus on standardized diagnosis and treatment as well as exploratory clinical research. Currently, our department has implemented advanced domestic and international diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, including high-speed vitrectomy for diabetic retinopathy, anti-angiogenic therapy for neovascular diseases, glaucoma drainage device implantation for refractory glaucoma, balanced decompression surgery for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, and endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. We were the first in China to conduct clinical research on anti-VEGF intravitreal injection combined with steroid therapy for radiation-induced optic neuropathy and retinopathy. Additionally, we contributed to the development of the Expert Consensus on Screening for Myopia Prevention and Control in Children and Adolescents in Guangdong Province (2020 Edition). As the primary completing unit, our project "Development, Application, and Promotion of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Diabetic Retinopathy" received the 2019 Guangdong Provincial Outstanding Scientific and Technological Achievement Award.
Currently, The Ophthalmology Department holds several key positions: Standing Committee Member of the Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Ophthalmology Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Deputy Chair of the Ophthalmology Physician Branch of the Guangdong Medical Doctor Association and Head of its Eye and Systemic Diseases Group; Chair of the Eye and Systemic Diseases Professional Committee of the Guangdong Eye Health Association; and Deputy Chair of the Ophthalmology Subcommittee of the Guangdong Expert Committee for the National Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Prevention Project. We are also a member of the Guangdong Clinical Research Platform Center for Metabolic Disease (Diabetes) Complications and have been designated by the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission as the "Guangdong Provincial Youth Myopia Prevention Science Popularization Team."

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Scientific Research Results

The department is currently engaged in scientific research and teaching related to various eye diseases. We have received provincial-level awards for scientific research achievements and have trained a large number of outstanding ophthalmic professionals. In recent years, we have led or participated in over 20 research projects funded by organizations such as the National Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, and the Guangdong Medical Science Foundation. We have published more than 100 professional articles, including nearly 40 SCI-indexed papers, many of which have appeared in high-impact journals both domestically and internationally. Additionally, we have contributed as deputy editors or co-authors to 8 monographs. Our primary research focus involves the diagnosis and treatment of systemic disease-related eye conditions, including diabetes-related eye diseases, thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, rheumatic immune-related eye diseases, and radiation-induced optic neuropathy and retinopathy.
The department also serves as a national clinical drug trial base and has participated in multiple clinical trials for ophthalmic medications. As a national standardized residency training base, we have successfully trained over a dozen resident physicians and passed the evaluation for the Guangdong Provincial Ophthalmology Residency Training Base with outstanding results. Annually, we regularly host the Yixian Ophthalmology Forum and national continuing education programs, providing a high-level academic exchange platform for ophthalmology peers and related medical professionals.
In terms of education, as the Ophthalmology Teaching and Research Department of SYSMH, we are an authorized site for conferring doctoral and master's degrees in ophthalmology. We have trained more than a dozen ophthalmology graduate students, including two from Hong Kong and Macau and one international student. Additionally, each year, we are responsible for teaching ophthalmology to students in the five-year program and the integrated 5+3 program at the School of Stomatology of Sun Yat-sen University. We regularly revise the teaching syllabus in accordance with educational requirements. Through lectures on ophthalmic theory and clinical practicums, we enable students to gain a foundational understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of common and prevalent eye diseases, as well as basic clinical ophthalmic skills. In rigorous ophthalmology assessments, our students have consistently achieved excellent overall results, and our teaching efforts have received unanimous praise from the student body. Young faculty members in the department actively participate in Chinese and English teaching competitions organized by the hospital and the university, achieving outstanding results.

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