"Candlelight Plan" Teacher Eye Health Care Program by Dongguan Aier Eye Hospital Reaches 100 Sessions, Serving Nearly 5,000 Educators

Three-foot podium nurtures talents; bright eyes accompany the toil of teaching. Recently, the 102nd public welfare eye health clinic under the "Candlelight Plan – Protecting Teachers' Eye Health" initiative, organized by Dongguan Aier Eye Hospital of Jinan University, was held at Nancheng Sunshine Eighth Primary School. A professional medical volunteer team provided eye screenings, dry eye atomization therapy, and one-on-one eye care education for all teaching staff, bringing convenient and professional eye health services directly to teachers.

This event marks a phased milestone since Dongguan Aier Eye Hospital launched its teacher‑exclusive eye health care program in 2024, deepening its campus public welfare efforts and fulfilling its social responsibility as a medical institution. The "Candlelight Plan" has now conducted 102 on‑campus service sessions, reaching nearly 5,000 active teachers across the city. Additional campus‑specific sessions are scheduled for June. Over a hundred caring initiatives continue to build a strong defense line for the eye health of frontline educators.

With "Candlelight" as a symbol of our commitment, we care for the eye health of teachers.

Eye health is a core component of national health, and teachers are a key occupational group that experiences chronic overuse of their eyes. From daily lesson preparation and blackboard teaching, to online and offline multimedia instruction, and bulk grading of assignments, multiple work scenarios place teachers' eyes under sustained high pressure. Occupational eye conditions such as dry eye, persistent visual fatigue, refractive fluctuations, and suboptimal fundus health are highly prevalent. However, most teachers tend to overlook their own eye discomfort, allowing minor issues to develop into chronic eye diseases that over time affect both their work performance and quality of life.

To effectively address the eye health challenges faced by educators and respond to society's call for greater attention to teachers' occupational well‑being, Dongguan Aier Eye Hospital launched the "Candlelight Plan – Protecting Teachers' Eye Health" public welfare program citywide in 2024. Leveraging the hospital's specialized medical resources, the program establishes an integrated, full‑service chain encompassing on‑campus screenings, health education, and personalized interventions. It aims to enhance teachers' awareness of eye care, promote scientific eye‑use habits, and also benefit teachers' children. Through professional medical support, the program gives back to the education sector and fulfills the hospital's social responsibilities as a medical institution.

Standardized on‑campus service system – one‑stop protection for visual wellness.

Dongguan Aier's medical volunteer team brings specialized diagnostic equipment directly to schools, offering a comprehensive range of public welfare eye health services: basic unaided and corrected visual acuity tests, computerized optometry, slit‑lamp detailed eye examinations, free eyeglass cleaning and maintenance, dry eye soothing atomization spa treatments, and one‑on‑one personalized eye care consultations. These services accurately identify common eye issues among teachers, including dry eye, visual fatigue, refractive errors, and fundus lesions.

In addition to regular outreach clinics, the hospital has established a long‑term medical‑school collaborative health network. Many of its senior physicians have been appointed as health vice‑principals at primary and secondary schools across the city, creating a normalized eye health guidance system spanning multiple campuses. During campus health lectures, these health vice‑principals focus on topics such as "Prevention of Common Eye Diseases in Teachers," offering practical knowledge on refractive errors, fatigue prevention, and more. At the same time, they provide teachers with specialized guidance on "Scientific Eye Use for Adolescents," enabling educators to pass on eye‑care awareness to students in their daily teaching—truly leading by example.

Dr. Fu Chengbin, Chief Physician of the Optometry and Pediatric Ophthalmology Department at Dongguan Aier and a representative of the health vice‑principals, has repeatedly emphasized: "Teachers have unique eye‑use habits. Mild symptoms can be alleviated by consciously increasing blink frequency and applying warm compresses to the eyes. Do not casually use over‑the‑counter eye drops. Teachers over 45 should have annual eye check‑ups, and those with high myopia, diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of eye diseases need to be especially vigilant." These clinical insights, delivered through lectures and consultations, are gradually reshaping teachers' attitudes toward eye health. One foreign teacher who participated in the program remarked with deep feeling: "I always remind my students to take care of their eyes, but I rarely pay attention to my own. Through these lectures, I now understand how essential regular eye examinations are!"

With more than 100 public welfare sessions reaching campuses across various towns and streets in Dongguan, and nearly 5,000 active teachers served, Dongguan Aier's standardized, refined, and convenient on‑campus eye health model has received high praise from education authorities, school unions, and all teaching staff. This care not only addresses teachers' practical eye health concerns but also plants the seeds of scientific eye care within school communities.

Teachers cultivate minds through education; physicians protect vision with compassion. As a professional eye care institution rooted in Dongguan for 11 years, Dongguan Aier Eye Hospital remains steadfast in its mission: "To enable everyone, regardless of wealth or poverty, to enjoy the right to eye health." Relying on a comprehensive tiered diagnosis and treatment network, advanced equipment, and a team of experienced physicians, the hospital continues to refine its service standards for teachers' eye health and expand its public welfare coverage.

Looking ahead, the hospital will further deepen medical‑school collaboration and continue to provide professional, standardized, and sustained services to safeguard the clear vision of all education personnel in the city, contributing solid strength to the high‑quality advancement of occupational health in Dongguan's education sector.