Wenzhou Medical University Eye Hospital and Airdoc Launch Strategic AI Collaboration Across Four Key Ophthalmic Scenarios

China has the largest number of individuals with blindness and visual impairment in the world. Data show that there are approximately 550 million people with myopia, 10 million with glaucoma, 6 million with cataracts, and 11.6 million with neovascular fundus diseases in China. Blinding conditions such as refractive errors, glaucoma, and cataracts are increasingly affecting younger populations. To better protect eye health, the National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the "13th Five-Year Plan for National Eye Health (2016–2020)" in November 2016.

Artificial intelligence simulates human consciousness and cognitive processes through deep learning, enabling machines to think like humans. Since 2012, technological advancements in deep learning have driven rapid progress in AI-powered image recognition.

On August 14, the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Eye Hospital) and Airdoc, a renowned enterprise in medical artificial intelligence, officially launched their Joint R&D Base for Optometry AI in Wenzhou. At the unveiling ceremony, both parties announced their commitment to advancing intelligent applications and fostering disciplinary collaboration in the field of optometry.

At the unveiling ceremony, Qu Jia, Dean of the Affiliated Eye Hospital and Optometry Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, along with Zhang Dalei, Founder and CEO of Airdoc; Chen Yuzhong, Chief Medical Officer; Zhang Jinglei, Vice President of Marketing; and dozens of other attendees were present.

According to VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat), the two parties will jointly establish a joint R&D base for AI in optometry and ophthalmology, exploring initiatives such as AI-powered smart optometry centers, intelligent ocular disease imaging centers, and smart ophthalmology triage systems. Leveraging their respective strengths in ophthalmic big data and AI applications, they will engage in strategic cooperation across healthcare, education, and research.

Previously, Airdoc collaborated with the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University to develop a predictive model for future changes in children’s vision. By analyzing large-scale datasets and filtering out anomalies, Airdoc successfully identified trends in refractive error changes relative to age. For instance, ages 6–11 represent the period during which parents are most concerned about vision changes; Airdoc’s algorithm can predict future vision changes based on a child’s current age and optometric results.

Regarding this collaboration, Qu Jia, President of the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, stated, “Let professionals handle professional matters. For hospitals to develop AI applications, adopting a collaborative approach is a sound choice that facilitates leveraging each party’s strengths; therefore, we have implemented an ‘island-chain strategy.’”

According to President Qu, hospital needs serve as a red line that connects enterprises with advanced technologies and hospitals, forming an “archipelago.” This approach prevents non-professionals from handling specialized tasks, thereby avoiding inefficiency and burnout. The Eye & Vision Hospital specializes in the medical field, while Airdoc specializes in artificial intelligence; this complementary expertise forms the foundation of their collaboration.

President Qu believes that while there is still a long way to go in integrating artificial intelligence into clinical practice, as an emerging technology with proven potential and promising prospects, we should fully leverage existing resources to actively explore and conduct research.

Zhang Dalei, Founder and CEO of Airdoc, stated, “Both parties will leverage their respective strengths to jointly promote the organic integration of artificial intelligence technology with clinicians, the intelligentization of ophthalmic equipment, comprehensive smart ophthalmology services, and the optimization of doctor-patient relationships (extending from individual doctors and patients to their entire families). Our ultimate goal is to achieve the domestic deployment and application of AI-driven optometry and ophthalmology products, thereby advancing the field into the era of ‘AI Plus’.”

The intelligent cataract surgery platform is the first project of the partnership between the two parties.

It is reported that approximately 2 million people in China regain their sight through cataract surgery each year at the current stage. Leveraging massive clinical datasets, Airdoc has established intelligent surgical parameters for cataracts tailored to the Chinese population, formulating specific solutions based on individual ocular characteristics to assist physicians in surgical decision-making.

The second collaborative project between the two parties is intelligent assisted diagnosis for keratoconus. Accurate identification of keratoconus is crucial for ensuring the safety of myopia laser surgery and orthokeratology lens fitting. The Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and Airdoc have developed an intelligent assisted diagnostic model based on extensive clinical data, which is expected to rapidly screen for cases of keratoconus at various stages, as well as suspected keratoconus, using corneal topography maps.

Ophthalmology Intelligent Triage is the third collaborative project between the two parties. At present, ophthalmic hospitals are overcrowded, resulting in long patient waiting times and poor experiences. The wide variety of ophthalmic examinations, which are time-consuming, also places significant pressure on physicians. Therefore, both parties plan to address these challenges by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). The integration of AI enables ophthalmic patients to be quickly matched with the most appropriate specialists, thereby improving physicians’ work efficiency and reducing patients’ waiting times.

The last collaborative project between the two parties was intelligent prediction of myopia progression in adolescents.

Currently, the prevalence of myopia among adolescents in China ranks first nationwide."Due to limitations in data volume and methodology, accurate prediction of myopia progression has become a challenging issue for scientific research."

Airdoc leverages the vast amount of data accumulated by the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University to build artificial intelligence models that predict visual progression in myopic children and adolescents aged 3–17 from their current age up to 18 years, based on multiple dimensions.

Regarding data mining, Wang Xiaoxing, Director of the Information Management Department at the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, stated, “The vast majority of data from diagnostic equipment at the Eye Hospital has already been structured. The integration of data from these diverse devices was completed by the Information Management Department long ago. Information transmission between the hospital’s internal systems and Airdoc’s artificial intelligence platform can be achieved through the DICOM protocol. This capability also benefits from the foundation laid by over a decade of informatization platform construction at the hospital.”

Regarding the business model, Zhang Dalei stated, “At this stage, the entire industry is undoubtedly overheated, with many hoping to get rich quick. However, Airdoc is not driven solely by commercial interests; we aim to address the shortage of medical resources in China by helping hospitals improve efficiency in scientific research and clinical diagnosis and treatment.”

In response, Wang Qinmei, Dean of the Hangzhou Zhijiang Campus of the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, stated, “Capital is short-term, but healthcare is a long-term endeavor; therefore, enterprises must have patience. Currently, many artificial intelligence companies are flocking to the oncology sector, yet the ophthalmology market is equally vast. As long as companies can effectively implement their products and create value, they will have no shortage of business opportunities in the future.”

Today, Airdoc has made significant progress in the fields of ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiovascular health, and neuroscience. As Airdoc covers a wide range of diseases, its business model, product promotion strategies, and revenue model will provide valuable insights into the field of artificial intelligence.

This Thursday, we have invited Mr. Zhang Jinglei, Vice President of Airdoc, to join the VB Interview for a live broadcast, where he will analyze Airdoc’s business model, product promotion, and profitability strategies.

PleaseClick the blue text, read the full article to get free registration information.