Beijing, China – 28 Aug 2026 – The National Health Commission (NHC), the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM) and the National Disease Prevention and Control Administration (NDCP) have jointly issued the “Work Plan for Accelerating the Provision of High‑Quality and Efficient Eye Health Services (2026–2030)” (Guo Wei Yi Zheng Fa [2026] No. 22), directing provincial authorities to implement a nine‑task, full‑life‑cycle eye‑care framework that sets binding 2030 targets for cataract surgery rates, ophthalmologist density, county‑level service capability, and explicitly promotes artificial‑intelligence empowerment across screening and diagnosis.
Policy Milestone
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Issuing Authorities | NHC, NATCM, NDCP (joint) |
| Document | Work Plan for Accelerating High‑Quality and Efficient Eye Health Services (2026–2030) |
| Document No. | Guo Wei Yi Zheng Fa [2026] No. 22 |
| Issuance Date | 28 Aug 2026 (proactive public disclosure) |
| Policy Period | 2026–2030 (“15th Five‑Year Plan” window) |
| Policy Anchor | Healthy China 2030 Outline and National Health “15th Five‑Year” Plan |
| Guiding Approach | Prevention first, medical‑prevention integration, equal TCM/Western‑medicine emphasis, multi‑disease co‑prevention and co‑management; shift from disease‑centered to health‑centered care |
| Recipients | Provincial health, TCM and disease‑control authorities, incl. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps |
2030 Targets
| Indicator | Target by 2030 |
|---|---|
| Refractive Screening & Correction | Steadily higher screening rates for children aged 0–6 and primary/secondary students; eREC (effective refractive‑error coverage) continuously rising; stronger correction awareness among the elderly |
| Cataract Surgery Rate (CSR) | >4,000 per million population; eCSC (effective cataract surgical coverage) continuously rising |
| Workforce | >5.3 ophthalmologists (practicing/assistant) per 100,000 population; expanded optometrist ranks |
| County Capability | >93% of county general hospitals with an ophthalmology (ENT‑ophthalmology) department; >95% of counties independently treating common eye diseases; all counties able to deliver cataract surgery; expanding basic vision‑care and low‑vision rehabilitation coverage |
Nine Task Areas
- Risk Prevention & Health Literacy: Launch the “Hundreds‑Thousands‑Tens of Thousands” eye‑health education action — 100 provincial‑level, 1,000 prefecture‑level, and 10,000 grassroots outreach events targeting children, the elderly, and key occupational groups, timed with National “Love Eye Day,” World Sight Day and World Glaucoma Week; integrate eye‑complication prevention into chronic‑disease management.
- Tiered Service System: Tertiary and specialty eye hospitals handle acute, severe and complex cases; secondary hospitals manage common diseases and upward referral; township/community centers are encouraged to offer optometry and fundus photography; village clinics provide vision checks and education. Tight‑knit county medical communities and urban medical groups channel technology, remote guidance and training downward — including retired medical staff serving resource‑weak western and grassroots regions.
- Early Screening: Strengthen newborn eye‑disease screening and vision checks for children aged 0–6 (detecting insufficient hyperopic reserve early); compile a key‑population screening catalogue covering refractive error, diabetic retinopathy, cataract and glaucoma for children, middle‑aged/elderly, and diabetes/hypertension patients; issue grassroots screening and referral guidelines.
- Standardized Care: Revise ophthalmic diagnosis/treatment guidelines and technical norms; build specialty quality‑control indicator systems; expand day‑surgery and outpatient‑surgery categories and raise their share of elective procedures.
- Low‑Vision Rehabilitation: Embed rehabilitation into the full care pathway; promote the “assessment–fitting–training–follow‑up” service model and build capacity in visual‑disability evaluation and assistive devices.
- Key Disease Programs: Implement WHO’s “SPECS 2030” refractive‑care initiative; enforce myopia‑prevention guidelines with early warning for high myopia; deliver integrated TCM–Western myopia control for children; consolidate cataract blindness‑elimination gains via paired assistance, mobile medical tours and “Bright Journey” (光明行) programs; optimize care models for fundus diseases and glaucoma with AI integration, tiered diagnosis and two‑way referral with mutual result recognition; standardize eye banks and corneal‑transplant oversight; sustain blinding‑trachoma elimination; regulate retinopathy of prematurity care; build capacity in ocular trauma, strabismus/amblyopia, and rare and hereditary eye diseases.
- TCM Synergy: Develop TCM‑specific intervention guidelines for eye health; build integrated Chinese–Western medicine “flagship” departments; extend acupuncture and acupoint‑application therapies to grassroots institutions.
- AI & Digital Empowerment: Deep‑integrate AI, big data and 5G with eye services under the “Internet+” medical model; scale tele‑ophthalmology for remote consultation, image interpretation and follow‑up; explore medical‑AI applications in grassroots screening, assisted diagnosis, patient services, public health, research and the health industry.
- Talent & Science: Strengthen standardized residency training and continuing education; cultivate optometrists, ophthalmic nurses and low‑vision rehabilitation specialists; conduct epidemiological surveillance of blinding diseases and their socioeconomic burden.
County Cataract Build‑Out Formula
- Counties with resident population ≥300,000: at least one county hospital must independently perform cataract surgery, via equipment provision, personnel training and quality strengthening.
- Counties with population <300,000: cataract surgery delivered primarily through organized mobile/visiting medical services (巡诊).
Key Metrics Defined (Official Annex)
- eREC: Share of people receiving high‑quality refractive correction (glasses, contact lenses, or surgery) among those needing it — covering both distance and near vision.
- eCSC: Share of people aged 50+ with good post‑operative distance vision among those needing cataract surgery; China will apply 6/12 and 6/18 dual vision standards in line with WHO flexibility guidance.
- SPECS 2030: WHO initiative spanning Services access, Personnel capacity, Education, Cost reduction, and Surveillance.
Market Impact & Outlook
- Surgical Volume Tailwind: The CSR >4,000 per million target, universal county cataract capability, and expanded day‑surgery categories point to sustained growth in cataract procedures, IOL implants, phacoemulsification equipment and surgical consumables through 2030.
- Screening Infrastructure Demand: Newborn screening, fundus photography pushed down to township level, and a formal screening catalogue create procurement demand for fundus cameras, optometry equipment, and vision‑screening devices at the primary‑care tier.
- AI Deployment Mandate: Explicit endorsement of AI in grassroots screening and assisted diagnosis — with fundus‑disease management as a named pilot area — opens a regulated pathway for AI ophthalmology diagnostic software vendors, with county and community institutions as the natural first market.
- Refractive & Myopia‑Control Economy: SPECS 2030 implementation, eREC as a tracked indicator, and TCM‑integrated myopia programs institutionalize recurring demand across optical retail, myopia‑control products (e.g., ortho‑k, defocus lenses) and pediatric vision services.
- Workforce as Capacity Unlock: The 5.3‑per‑100,000 ophthalmologist floor plus optometrist, nursing and rehabilitation training targets address the sector’s core bottleneck, supporting both public capacity and private ophthalmic chain expansion.
Implementation Structure
- Health authorities at all levels lead whole‑population, whole‑life‑cycle implementation; TCM departments promote appropriate technologies and integrated care; disease‑control departments run myopia surveillance and intervention for students.
- Provincial authorities tailor implementation measures and establish progress monitoring and evaluation mechanisms; the NHC will conduct research and guidance on plan execution as appropriate.
Forward‑Looking Statements
This brief contains forward‑looking statements regarding implementation timelines, service‑coverage targets, workforce expansion, county capability build‑out, and technology adoption under China’s 2026–2030 Eye Health Work Plan. Actual outcomes may differ due to risks including provincial execution capacity, funding allocation, training pipelines, AI regulatory approval, and evolving clinical standards.-China Health Reform Pulse
Policy Source: https://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/c100068/202609/306f00c939424aadb79999b96353f36f.shtml