How Aizai Tech is Driving Intelligent Myopia Control in a Trillion-Yuan Market

The advancement of myopia prevention and control in recent years appears to be unstoppable.

On one hand, the prevention and control of myopia among children and adolescents in China is an urgent priority. According to Frost & Sullivan statistics, the number of people with myopia in China ranked first globally in 2019, reaching 630 million. Additionally, data from the National Health Commission shows that the prevalence of myopia among Chinese children and adolescents was 53.6%, 50.2%, and 52.7% in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. In other words, the myopia prevalence rate among domestic children and adolescents has consistently exceeded 50%, indicating a severe situation that cannot be overlooked.

On the other hand, against the backdrop of a severe myopia situation in China, the state has successively introduced a series of policies, gradually elevating myopia prevention and control to the level of national strategy. In 2018, eight departments, including the Ministry of Education, the National Health Commission, the General Administration of Sport of China, and the Ministry of Finance, jointly issued the Implementation Plan for Comprehensive Prevention and Control of Myopia in Children and Adolescents, requiring families, schools, medical and health institutions, and relevant government departments to adopt preventive measures and incorporate myopia prevention and control into the government’s performance evaluation system.

The enormous market demand, coupled with strong policy support, has given rise to a similarly vast market for myopia prevention and control. According to the “Report on the Current Market Status and Development Prospects of China’s Myopia Prevention and Control Industry (2022–2027)” released by Zhongyan Puhua Industry Research Institute, the market size for myopia prevention and control is expected to reach approximately RMB 210 billion by 2030, with a ten-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.7%.

Against this backdrop, myopia control products such as defocus spectacle lenses, orthokeratology (OK) lenses, and low-concentration atropine have surged in popularity. Numerous companies and institutions have entered the field, jointly exploring solutions to address myopia prevention and control in China.

Ai Zai Technology is one such company. As an industry-academia-research partner of Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital, Ai Zai Technology adheres to the product strategy of “AI-based prevention and control + vision care physiotherapy + eyeglass dispensing.” The company has developed a portfolio of software and hardware products, including myopia prevention and control devices, smart defocus glasses, professional red-light therapy devices, and big-data systems for myopia prevention and control. It has also introduced a comprehensive myopia prevention and control system and philosophy centered on “products + data.”

“The future of the myopia prevention and control industry will undoubtedly evolve in two directions: intelligence and systematization,” said Zhou Chuanpu, Marketing Director at Ai Zai Technology, in an interview with VCBeat.

Ai Zai Technology’s understanding of the industry is reflected in two aspects: its product portfolio and market development. Next, VCBeat will also introduce how Ai Zai Technology makes myopia prevention and control more intelligent and systematic from these two perspectives.

In terms of product portfolio, the systematic approach to myopia prevention and control can be broadly divided into two aspects: prevention and control.

In response, iCare Technology has deployed myopia prevention devices, smart defocus lenses, and professional red-light therapy devices. The former focuses on “prevention,” while the latter two focus on “control,” thereby achieving a dual approach of both “prevention” and “control.”

As for intelligence, it must be discussed in the context of the product’s unique features.

The myopia control device is Aizai Technology’s most distinctive product. According to Zhou Chuanpu, the device features built-in distance and angle sensors that provide intelligent vibration alerts when a child assumes improper posture, thereby reminding, correcting, and improving their eye-use habits. “It is akin to having a doctor standing by the child’s side at all times, constantly reminding them to maintain proper eye-use habits.”

When children or adolescents have already developed myopia, Ai Zai Technology has launched smart defocus glasses to control its progression. These smart defocus glasses can be understood as a combination of defocus lenses and Ai Zai Technology’s myopia control device. After users obtain a “fitting prescription” from offline optical stores, optometry centers, or hospitals and provide it to Ai Zai Technology, the company will arrange customized production based on the user’s specific needs, ultimately delivering the tailored smart defocus glasses to the user. In this way, through the dual approach of AI and optics, the progression of myopia in users can be effectively controlled.

Furthermore, in the field of vision training for myopia prevention and control, Ai Zai Technology has also deployed red-light therapy devices. The underlying principle involves concentrating red light with wavelengths between 630 and 650 nanometers from natural light to serve as a substitute for full-spectrum natural light. The retina is then irradiated with safe power levels for an effective duration, stimulating dopamine secretion. This process promotes thickening of the choroid surrounding the axial length, thereby inhibiting axial elongation and achieving the goal of myopia prevention and control.

On the “software” front, Ai Zai Technology has also developed a data-driven diagnostic system for myopia prevention and control. The data are primarily sourced from the myopia prevention and control devices mentioned earlier.

According to Zhou Chuanzhou, in addition to built-in distance and angle sensors, Ai Zai Technology’s myopia prevention and control device is also equipped with various sensors and chips, including light sensors, accelerometers, and gyroscopes. These components record children’s eye-usage data throughout the entire period of use, providing a data foundation for tracking and analyzing their visual habits and controlling the progression of myopia. Furthermore, they supply the data basis and computational support for the Ophthalmic Myopia Big Data Diagnostic System jointly developed by Ai Zai Technology and Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital.

Leveraging Ai Zai Keji’s big data diagnostic system for myopia, doctors and optometry professionals can identify the underlying causes of users’ myopia and provide more professional, science-based intervention recommendations.

Overall, against the backdrop of high myopia prevalence, increasing severity, and onset at younger ages, iZai Technology’s hardware products and data analytics system can provide health commissions, education departments, and other regulatory authorities with extensive and detailed data to support decision-making on myopia prevention and control. The system also offers more precise guidance for physicians and optometrists, while helping children prioritize visual health, correct their posture, and develop healthy eye-use habits, thereby reducing the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents.

Ai Zai Tech’s marketing strategy also exhibits a strong sense of “systematization.” In general, while building brand equity through collaborations with provincial-level public hospitals, Ai Zai Tech will focus its efforts on the primary care market.

From a horizontal perspective, the market covered by Ai Zai Technology’s programs includes public hospitals, optometry centers, optical stores, and schools. From a vertical perspective, Ai Zai Technology will initially prioritize collaborations with provincial-level people’s hospitals to build brand recognition before introducing partners to jointly expand into community hospitals and markets in second- and third-tier cities.

Moreover, iAi Tech places great emphasis on expanding its coverage to community hospitals and schools, with the goal of reaching 500 community hospitals within five years.

“Primary care is the most fundamental point of implementation in the myopia prevention and control system. We hope to better carry out public welfare campaigns, sponsorships, and other activities by establishing collaborations with primary-level myopia prevention and control centers, community hospitals, and schools, thereby ensuring that myopia prevention and control measures are effectively implemented,” said Zhou Chuanpu.

VCBeat has learned that iZai Technology is putting this vision into action. The company has donated myopia prevention and control devices to selected schools, enabling children to benefit from cutting-edge myopia management technologies while generating substantial data on myopia prevention and control. Leveraging its big data analytics platform, iZai Technology supports local authorities in making informed decisions, thereby contributing modestly to the effort of preventing and controlling myopia among adolescents.

Zhou Chuanpu stated that iZai Technology’s myopia prevention and control data analytics system is available to partners free of charge. Furthermore, in terms of market promotion, iZai Technology will initially establish Changsha as its base to create a model demonstration project, gradually expanding to community hospitals and secondary and tertiary hospitals. The company expects to achieve nationwide coverage across China and initiate its IPO plan by mid-2025.

“The future of myopia prevention and control will undoubtedly be characterized by intelligence and systematic approaches. Moreover, this sector is bound to produce unicorn companies. We have both the confidence and the capability to establish Ai Zai Keji as a unicorn in the field of myopia prevention and control.” Zhou Chuanpu expressed strong confidence in the development of myopia prevention and control initiatives as well as the growth of Ai Zai Keji.