The BrightChina 2025 Myopia Prevention and Control Conference was held from October 24 to 26, 2025, at the Shanghai Fuyue Hotel. The event brought together over 150 domestic and international experts, along with more than 1,500 delegates, to discuss cutting-edge research, clinical practices, and policy strategies in myopia prevention and control.
The conference featured 23 thematic academic sessions, covering topics such as:
- Myopia epidemiology and influencing factors
- New technologies and models
- Interdisciplinary medicine and engineering
- Clinical research methodologies
- Light intervention and prevention frontiers
- Basic scientific research
- Standards and guidelines
In addition, the conference hosted a range of special events, including:
- Myopia Prevention Popular Science Contest and Exhibition
- Myopia Prevention Themed Debate
- The Bright Eyes Express Paper Competition
During the plenary session, Professor Xu Xun, Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, delivered the opening address, while Professor Yao Ke, Chair of the Chinese Ophthalmological Society, and Professor Serge Resnikoff, President of the International Myopia Institute (IMI), delivered remarks.
Several major initiatives and publications were launched, including:
- Shanghai Integrated Myopia Prevention and Control Intervention Project released its interim results. Data showed that the incidence of myopia in the intervention group decreased and axial length progression slowed, providing a replicable model for city-level public health interventions.
- Launch ceremony of the “AI Bright Eyes – Protecting Vision” Digital Myopia Prevention and Control Initiative
- Release of the Chinese edition of the International Myopia Institute (IMI) 2025 White Paper Series
- Release of the “Chinese Expert Consensus on Pre-myopia Management in Children and Adolescents”
- Visual Health Group of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association – 42 mid-career scientists led by Professor He Xiangui to build a translational pipeline from schoolyards to AI labs.
- Inauguration ceremony for the Smart Bright Eyes Vision Protection Space
- Award ceremony recognising international expert, Professors Kathryn Rose (University of Technology Sydney) and Ian Morgan (Australian National University), for outstanding contributions to myopia prevention and control
In the IMI 2025 International Myopia White Paper Update session, chaired by Professor Serge Resnikoff from the International Myopia Institute and Professor Lan Weizhong from the Aier Eye Hospital Group Optometry Research Institute, several international experts delivered presentations:
- Nina Tahhan from the Brien Holden Vision Institute delivered a presentation titled ‘The IMI Digest, 2025’. The report first introduced the development history of the IMI and an overview of its previous white papers. Professor Nina summarised the key updates in this edition and emphasised that effective myopia control requires active lifelong prevention.
- Christine Wildsoet from the University of California, Berkeley presented a report on myopia control interventions, discussing current options and future directions from multiple perspectives. Professor Wildsoet emphasised that with myopia now being recognised as a disease, clinicians need to master various prevention and control strategies to collectively address this global public health challenge.
- Professor Deborah Jones from the University of Waterloo delivered a presentation titled “IMI – Instrumentation for Myopia Management”. The report showed different evaluation indicators and equipment should be adopted for patients and it’s clinical or research application, providing the audience with a concise yet comprehensive overview of current developments in the field of myopia.
- Professor Regan Ashby from the University of Canberra delivered “Light and Myopia”. He pointed out that strong outdoor illumination can stimulate dopamine release in the retina, thereby inhibiting excessive axial elongation. Future research should employ wearable technology for precise light environment quantification and conduct rigorous randomised controlled trials.
- Professor James Wolffsohn from Aston University delivered a presentation titled “Attitudes and Practices towards Myopia Control”. The report primarily adopted a public health perspective, using China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and Vietnam as examples, providing substantial evidence for understanding the development levels of eye care services and the distribution patterns of patient compliance across different regions.
- Professor Timothy Fricke from the National Vision Research Institute presented “New Methodology for Estimating Myopia Prevalence”. The report critically analysed the limitations of traditional methods that rely on single cutoff values for myopia assessment, providing a multidimensional characterisation of myopia and related refractive error epidemics, offering refined evidence for developing targeted prevention and control strategies.
The conference covered research and practice in myopia prevention and control, attracting a wide range of scholars and practitioners in the field. The discussions during the conference were particularly lively, guiding and enlightening the future of myopia prevention and control.