title: [Inquiries about methods of primary eye care and prevention of blindness].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To inquire about the methods of developing primary eye care (PEC) and prevention of blindness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The methods of developing PEC and prevention of blindness in recent 10 years were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five grades of PEC network were established. The training courses 1 007 times were held in Nantong, and the epidemiological survey of the blind was carried out for 6 817 259 people. The blind persons were 13 496 in number, and the prevalence of blindness was 0.20%. Cataract operations were performed on 83.16% of the treatable cataract blind persons. The successful rate of cataract surgery was 98.22%. Eight counties became the national advanced counties of prevention of blindness. Nantong city became the first national advanced city of prevention of blindness in 1997.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PEC is the basis of prevention of blindness. To bring PEC into line with the primary health care (PHC) is the key point of developing PEC. Affordable operation, promising quality of the operative procedure and combination of survey and treatment are the three essential factors of developing PEC and prevention of blindness. To create national advanced county and city is the motive force of developing prevention of blindness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital, Nantong Medical College, Nantong 226001, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data