By: Chris Kaufman

In the medical world, ophthalmology serves as a crucial window connecting people to the external environment, playing a vital role in enhancing the quality of life. Dr. Zhao Liang, an expert who has made significant contributions in the field of refractive and optometric ophthalmology, shares his career journey, achievements, and insights on future developments in ophthalmology.

Hello, we are thrilled to have a conversation with the widely acclaimed ophthalmologist Dr. Liang Zhao. Before we delve into the well-known issues outside, could you greet our curious audience and introduce yourself?

Dr. Liang Zhao: Hello, I am Liang Zhao, a graduate of the Qilu Medical College at Shandong University. Since joining Shenzhen Ruilin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 1998, I have successfully promoted several ophthalmic drugs and medical devices, including ofloxacin eye drops and ganciclovir antiviral eye gel, significantly improving the treatment level for bacterial and viral eye diseases. The application of ganciclovir eye gel has reached a world-leading level. As the founder of Zhuhai Feitlan Medical Technology Co., Ltd., I am dedicated to the innovation and promotion of ophthalmic medical technology, especially achieving breakthrough progress in myopia prevention and control.

What inspired you to focus on refractive and optometric ophthalmology in the early stages of your medical journey?

Dr. Liang Zhao: My interest in refractive and optometric ophthalmology stemmed from the goal of ophthalmologists to improve patients’ vision, making it clearer, longer-lasting, and more comfortable. These are key attractions in the field of refractive and optometric ophthalmology. The progress of society and economic development signifies an enhancement in the quality of life and happiness index. Vision is a key component of a happy life; with people living longer, the importance of maintaining eye health increases, especially maintaining healthy vision throughout one’s life cycle.

Global data on vision impairment shows that refractive errors account for a high proportion at 42%. Together with cataract surgery, which can restore vision and accounts for 33%, these two constitute 75% of the eye disease treatment market. This highlights the vast market demand for functional vision needs—including refractive surgery, myopia prevention and control, and presbyopia correction. Currently, the market faces two major technical challenges: reducing the incidence of myopia and correcting presbyopia without compromising visual quality.

These technical challenges motivated me to focus on the field of refractive and optometric ophthalmology, and I take pride in the achievements made in this area.

What technical challenges did you face while promoting ofloxacin eye drops, and how did you overcome them?

Dr. Liang Zhao: In the early stages of my career, China had a limited variety of ocular surface disease treatment drugs, which struggled to meet therapeutic needs in terms of safety and efficacy. At the time, China mainly relied on chloramphenicol eye drops to treat bacterial eye diseases. Chloramphenicol itself has noticeable ocular surface toxicity. Additionally, due to outdated production techniques at the time, a significant amount of preservatives had to be added to the eye drops, leading to pronounced toxic reactions and further aggravating patients’ conditions. To address this issue, my team and I first developed low toxicity ofloxacin eye drops. By improving the production process and sterile factory conditions, we produced ofloxacin eye drops that could pass the preservative efficacy test without needing preservatives, allowing for long-term storage. This technology is now used in several factories, and antibiotic eye drops without preservatives have become the mainstream, improving the treatment level for bacterial eye diseases.

The development of Aura myopia control glasses marks another breakthrough in the field of ophthalmic medicine. Can you share the inspiration behind this project?

Dr. Liang Zhao: The development of Aura myopia control glasses is a significant milestone in addressing the global challenge of myopia. Aura is notable for several key features: it has demonstrated effectiveness in preventing myopia, introduces innovative lens technology to address micro-lens image hopping, and employs a unique radial lens design to provide myopic defocus signals to the retinal core area. This project was inspired by the increasing severity of the global myopia problem. According to a World Health Organization report, by 2050, there will be five billion people with myopia worldwide, with nearly one billion suffering from high myopia. Especially in Asian countries, the rate of myopia among children and adolescents is significantly higher than the global average, affecting individual health and placing a burden on socio-economic development.

In the past, myopia control mainly relied on slowing its progression, which could not fundamentally prevent the onset of myopia. However, changing lifestyles, such as increasing outdoor activity time, has proven to be an effective method for preventing myopia. Nevertheless, implementing these preventive measures in reality is difficult, so we sought a more convenient and effective prevention method.

This pursuit led us to the optical defocus theory, a theory with 30 years of research foundation but rarely applied in practice for myopia prevention. Combining this theory with technological advancements, we transformed traditional negative defocus lenses into positive defocus lenses, making them suitable for children who have not yet developed myopia. This thinking allows children without myopia to prevent it by wearing glasses. This marks a technological breakthrough in the field of myopia prevention and control, where humans can prevent myopia through medical means. This is not only progress in ophthalmology but also a milestone in improving population quality and promoting social development.

What are your forecasts or expectations for the future development of ophthalmic medical technology you think will be the focus of future research?

Dr. Liang Zhao: As an expert in ophthalmology, I see our future shifting towards minimizing reliance on individual surgical skills through technological advancements, aiming to make surgeries more efficient and safer. I also believe in the power of prevention and am excited about integrating artificial intelligence into early eye disease detection and health management, anticipating it will revolutionize the medical field with its efficiency and precision.

Published by: Nelly Chavez