[Eighteen years activity in prevention of blindness in the district of Shunyi, Beijing].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate how the urban tertiary hospital and medical research unit cooperate with rural basic medical unit in creating the model zone in prevention of blindness.


METHODS
Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) and Shunyi District Bureau of Public Health exerted their advantages to persist and popularize the program for prevention of blindness. A collaborative program in prevention of blindness was conducted by PUMCH and Shunyi District Bureau of Public Health. The targeted subjects were the population in Shunyi District of Beijing. An epidemiological survey of eye diseases was performed in 1984. A program for prevention of blindness was established and conducted afterward.


RESULTS
The status of blindness in Shunyi District was unveiled by the eye epidemiological survey of eye diseases in 1984. Three-level primary eye care network and referring and treatment system for cataract blindness was established since 1987. The survey showed that the priority in prevent of blindness is surgical treatment of cataract in the area. The evaluation of the program in prevention and treatment for blindness in 1996 showed that the prevalence of blindness was decreased even it is increasing in both the total population and aged people.


CONCLUSIONS
The cooperation in urban tertiary hospital, medical research unit and basic health care unit, and combination in research and medical practice in prevention of blindness can promote development in the prevention of blindness and possible reverse the tendency of blindness increase.
Zhao
Jia-liang
JL
Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Eye Research Center of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China. zjl@csc.pumch.ac.cn
Hu
Zheng
Z
Sui
Rui-fang
RF
Pan
Xiang-jun
XJ
Mao
Jin
J
Li
Chang-rong
CR
Jiang
Li-juan
LJ
Qiu
Chang-lin
CL
Chen
Si-guang
SG
Liu
Qing-yu
QY
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care