CCTF Project Helps Rural Children with Vision Disability

2012/04/11

The China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF), Qualcomm Incorporated, and Kingtone Wirelessinfo Solution Holding Ltd have jointly issued the results of the Mobile Vision Project at a press conference on April 10, 2012.

Qualcomm and Kingtone donated smart phones, 3G wireless Internet connections and computers worth 1.5 million yuan (US$238,350) to CCTF to help doctors treat rural children with amblyopia, improve medical levels and raise awareness about the disease. Clinicians can also log on to the ophthalmology database website using the project's system to get full ophthalmology information.

The project was launched in October 2011 with Hengshui City in north China’s Hebei Province as the pilot site. Now, the project’s system has been extended to cover more than 50 town-level clinics, serving about 400,000 children under the age of 14. Amongst the 1,144 children who were suspected to suffer from amblyopia, 684 have been diagnosed with the disease.

Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is a common disease amongst children, with an incidence rate of 3-5%. Around 12 million children throughout China are estimated to have the disease. In poverty-stricken areas, the incidence rate is even higher. The disease seriously affects development, normal living and the physical and mental health of children.  

To help these children and their families, CCTF established the ‘Children Amblyopia Special Fund’ on June 6, 2002 , in conjunction with National Eye Day. To date, the project has funded the treatment of 3,102 children with amblyopia from poor families in 23 provinces and areas.
In attendance at the press conference were Secretary General of CCTF Chen Xiaoxia, Vice Global President and China President of Qualcomm Incorporated Wang Xiang and Deputy President of Kingtone Wirelessinfo Solution Holding Ltd Zhang Wei.