China has reported to have approximately 6 million blind people accounting for approximately 18% of the blind population in the world. In recent decades, there is rapid improvement of eye care with outstanding results in many governmental and non-governmental agencies, such as the Sight First China Action. However, the cornerstone of improved eye care nationwide in the coming decades depends on invigorating ophthalmic education.

For improvement of ophthalmic education in accordance with advocates in the International Council of Ophthalmology, four distinct directions may be considered:

1. Ophthalmic resident and fellow training must be systematized with a decrease of training periods to three to four years with improved education of ophthalmic surgical skills.

2. Ophthalmology must be in the core curriculum of medical students so that all medical graduates must know how to handle simple eye cases and critical criteria for referral to eye specialists.

3. The need of eye care technologists and mid-level ophthalmic personnel, in the eye clinics or rural community respectively to supplement the shortage of ophthalmic surgeons.

4. Continuing medical education must be provided to practicing ophthalmologists so that high tech therapy may pass on to them through wet lab, hands-on teaching courses and a vigorous continuing medical educational system.

It is hoped that marked improvement of ophthalmic education will reduce the blindness population in the decades to come.