The department of optometry and vision sciences is a characteristic health sector of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University. The department was founded in June, 2016, and is the associate leader of the national professional group of optometry. 

The department of optometry and vision sciences takes the charge of primary eye care, teaching, scientific research, and visual rehabilitation. The clinical works include management of eye diseases associated with refraction and visual function, as well as visual rehabilitation of ocular disorders. These include: 

1) Common diseases: ①Treatment and prevention of juvenile myopia using contact lenses, drugs, and vision training; ②Non-surgical management of amblyopia; and ③Refractive Correction for hyperopic, astigmatic, and presbyopic eyes. 

2) Complicated diseases: ①Post-operative rehabilitation for binocular vision, conducting visual rehabilitation for patients underwent surgeries for congenital cataract, congenital glaucoma, refractive correction, and strabismus; ②Treatment for dyslexia; ③Management of visual fatigue, e.g. video display terminal (VDT) syndrome; ④Visual rehabilitation for patients with a history of brain injury; ⑤Refractive correction for irregular astigmatism (caused by diseases such like keratoconus and lenticonus) using contact lenses; and ⑥ Fitting lenses and training for those with strabismus or low vision. 

The department owns a comprehensive set of devices, including slit-lamp connected with digital camera, ophthalmoscope, IOP tonometer, phoropter, autorefraction, corneal topography, Pentacam, wavefront aberration tester and synoptophore. The department participates in the remote medical diagnosis program of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, aiding clinical practice of primary hospitals.  

There are one professor/director, two associate professors/associate directors, and five attending. Among them, one is a PhD supervisor and 2 are master supervisors. Physicians of the department are all PhDs. The department takes the responsibility of teaching, resident training, and advanced education. Till now, more than 30 PhDs/masters have graduated and about 10 advanced physicians and 30 residents have been trained in the refraction department. 

The department appreciates both clinical practice and basic research and is now holding many cooperative and exchange programs with oversea institutions. The major research fields include myopic management and prevention. Researches are cooperated with first-class institutes in Denmark, United States, Australia, and Hong Kong. The department is domestic advanced in myopic research. Funds obtained includes 5 projects from the National Science Foundation, more than 10 projects from the Guangdong Science Foundation, and 5 project from enterprises. Members of the refraction department have published 3 treatises as chief editors, 2 treatises as associate chief editors, and more than 10 treatises as co-editors. More than 100 papers have been published and three national invention patents have been obtained.