Action taken on prevention and treatment of dry eyes

One person in five in China suffers from dry eyes, with the problem increasingly prevalent in teenagers and children.

About 22.5 percent of Chinese between 21 and 50 years have dry eyes, which affects about 33.75 percent of people aged over 65 years old.

The disease is more common among females and the elderly, local health experts said at the weekend, when Changning District announced it will team up with Shanghai Xinshijie Eye Hospital to launch a scientific education program on dry eye prevention and control.

According to experts, dry eyes is a common ocular surface disease having multiple causes. It can be accompanied by inflammation, tissue injury and nerve abnormality.

"Early detection, early prevention and early treatment is important to prevent deterioration," said Dr Rong Ao, president of Shanghai Xinshijie Eye Hospital.

"Dry eyes can impact life, study and work efficiency and bring physical and mental pressure. But only 5.38 percent of people with dry eyes go to hospital for professional diagnosis and treatment. So we initiated this program to offer online and offline guidance and education to the public to promote knowledge of dry eyes."

In addition to public education, the hospital also launched a joint laboratory on eye health innovative technology with Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University.

The lab, which is based on the integration of eye medicine and engineering technology, will focus on dry eye and corneal neovascularization, a sight-threatening condition that introduces vascular pathology into the normally avascular cornea, experts said.