Sankara Eye Hospital-CUHK deal expands paediatric eye care focus

It covers myopia treatment research, ROP care, and school screening programmes.

Sankara Eye Hospital, India, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on paediatric eye care, myopia treatment, and related research.

The partnership focuses on clinical research, education, and technology development to address childhood vision disorders, alongside academic exchange and joint research activities.

Both institutions will work on methods to slow or prevent myopia progression, alongside research into retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and ocular tumours.

“Fortunately, recent ophthalmic developments are transforming care. Evidence-based myopia frameworks, such as low-dose atropine therapy and specialised optical designs, are actively slowing near-sightedness in children,” said Divya Caculo, Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist at Sankara Eye Hospital in Bengaluru.

She added that it also covers genetic testing for inherited retinal disorders and the use of wide-field retinal imaging combined with anti-VEGF therapies for ROP treatment.

“I view artificial intelligence-enabled screening tools as a foundational paradigm shift, allowing clinicians to map and detect disorders at vastly earlier stages to bridge accessibility gaps in underserved communities,” Caculo said.

They will also conduct school-based vision screening programmes aimed at early identification and referral of refractive errors, said Namratha Hegde, Optometry Faculty and Lead – Institutional Research at Sankara Eye Hospital.