China's Top Departments: Cornea at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University

If you or a family member is facing corneal blindness, a severe chemical burn, keratoconus or a failed corneal graft, the Cornea Department at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University is arguably China's most authoritative destination. It is the earliest unit in China to perform corneal transplantation and ocular surface reconstruction, with more than 40,000 corneal transplant and ocular surface surgeries performed to date — the national No. 1 in surgical volume — inside the hospital whose ophthalmology reputation has ranked No. 1 nationwide for 14 consecutive years. For patients with end-stage corneal blindness, including repeated graft failure, the department's artificial cornea program offers a chance to regain sight when conventional transplants cannot.

Hospital Overview

Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University (abbreviated ZOC), also known as the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, is the largest public ophthalmic hospital in China and the only ophthalmic specialty hospital directly administered by the National Health Commission (NHC) of China. The Center's roots trace back to an eye clinic established in China in 1835; in 1965, under Professors Chen Yaozhen and Mao Wenshu, it became the first university-affiliated eye hospital in China; in 1995 it became China's first Grade-A tertiary (Sanjia) ophthalmic hospital. In Fudan University's China Hospital Rankings, its Ophthalmology specialty reputation has ranked No. 1 nationwide for many consecutive years (No. 1 in the national specialty ranking for ophthalmology and overall grade A+ in the 2023 edition). According to the Center, it has ranked No. 1 in China for ophthalmic specialty reputation for 14 consecutive years and No. 1 for ophthalmic research influence for 11 consecutive years, and in 2024 ranked No. 1 worldwide in both Health Sciences and Life Sciences among institutions named for ophthalmology in the Nature Index.

• Grade: Grade-A tertiary (Sanjia) ophthalmic specialty hospital; No. 1 nationwide in ophthalmic specialty reputation (Fudan rankings) for many consecutive years; No. 1 worldwide (Health Sciences and Life Sciences) among ophthalmic institutions in the 2024 Nature Index
• Academic platforms: Host of China's only State Key Laboratory in ophthalmology ("State Key Laboratory of Eye Diseases Prevention and Treatment") and one of China's first national key disciplines in ophthalmology; China's only WHO Collaborating Centre for Eye Care and Vision; China's only headquarters of an international medical academic organization (permanent headquarters of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, APAO, and the Asia Office of the Afro-Asian Council of Ophthalmology); member of the China–UK–US ophthalmology research alliance
• Research achievements: 11 National Science and Technology Awards since 1978; landmark results include lens regeneration (Nature 2016), ophthalmic AI systems (Nature Medicine 2022/2023), juvenile myopia prevention (JAMA 2015), a paradigm shift in glaucoma prevention (Lancet 2019), and gut-bacteria–mediated inherited retinal disease (Cell 2024)
• Scale: Public data indicate more than 1.13 million outpatient visits, over 78,000 surgeries, and an average length of stay of 1.5 days in 2018; the Ouzhuang campus has over 35,000 m² of floor space, and the Zhujiang New Town campus over 82,000 m²
• Location: Ouzhuang Campus (main): No. 54 Xianlie South Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou; Zhujiang New Town Campus: No. 7 Jinsui Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou
• Transport: The Ouzhuang Campus is near Ouzhuang Station on Guangzhou Metro Lines 5 and 6; the Zhujiang New Town Campus is in the core of Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District. Guangzhou is a core city of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area; Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport serves international and Southeast Asian routes, and the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed rail links to Hong Kong West Kowloon, making it convenient for patients from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas
• International services: The Center has a "Special Needs Medical Department" and "International Medical Services", with an English website and an international liaison email ([email protected]); in March 2026 it was selected among the first batch of Guangdong Province international medical service pilot hospitals; it has long supported China's medical aid-abroad strategy and built the first modern ophthalmic center in the Maldives

Department Overview

The Cornea Department (Cornea Specialty) was founded and developed under Professor Du Nianzu, a nationally renowned corneal specialist and founder of the National Cornea Study Group, and Professor Chen Jiaqi, a renowned corneal specialist and foreign member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. It has grown into a comprehensive academic platform comprising the Cornea Ward, Ocular Surface Disease Research Center, Guangdong Eye Bank, and Cornea Laboratory, integrating clinical care, research and teaching. The Department leads nationally — and in some areas reaches internationally advanced levels — in corneal transplantation, corneal morphology, ocular surface reconstruction and lacrimal (tear-duct) diseases, and is a leader in China's corneal and ocular surface field.

• Academic standing: A Key Specialty of the Guangdong "Five Ones" Science-Education-Health Project and a Guangdong Provincial Medical Key Specialty (one of the Center's three provincial medical key specialties, alongside Glaucoma and Cataract); its total and annual volumes of corneal transplantation rank first among comparable ophthalmic surgeries in China
• Surgical volume: The Department is the earliest unit in China to perform corneal transplantation and ocular surface reconstruction, having performed more than 40,000 corneal transplant and ocular surface surgeries to date
• Pioneering firsts: It opened China's first specialized dry-eye clinic and China's first specialized lacrimal-disease clinic; on average it introduces 1–2 new surgical or therapeutic methods each year
• Team composition (earlier public data): 4 professors/chief physicians and 2 associate professors/associate chief physicians; 6 with doctoral degrees; 1 doctoral supervisor and 5 master's supervisors

Academic Standing and Recognition

• A traditional-strength subspecialty of the National Clinical Key Specialty (Ophthalmology); a Guangdong Provincial Medical Key Specialty
• No. 1 in China for ophthalmology: its host Center has ranked No. 1 nationwide in ophthalmic specialty reputation in the Fudan China Hospital Rankings for many consecutive years (No. 1 in the 2023 national specialty ranking for ophthalmology)
• No. 1 worldwide: in 2024 ranked first globally in both Health Sciences and Life Sciences among ophthalmic institutions in the Nature Index
• National research platform: supported by China's only State Key Laboratory in ophthalmology, the "State Key Laboratory of Eye Diseases Prevention and Treatment"
• International standing: China's only WHO Collaborating Centre for Eye Care and Vision; home of the APAO permanent headquarters and the AACO Asia Office; lead institution of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao University Alliance for Ophthalmology
• No. 1 in surgical volume: the earliest unit in China to perform corneal transplantation and ocular surface reconstruction, ranking first nationwide in both cumulative and annual surgical volume
• March 2026: the host Center was selected among the first batch of Guangdong Province international medical service pilot hospitals

Core Technologies and Signature Conditions

1. Corneal transplantation (core strength)
   • Performs all types of corneal transplantation and was the earliest unit in China to do so; particularly experienced in endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK/DMEK), deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), limbal transplantation, and transplantation for chemical burns. Professor Huang Ting was among the earliest in China to perform endothelial and deep lamellar keratoplasty; he published China's first clinical paper on endothelial keratoplasty (2007) and in 2009 became the first Chinese ophthalmologist to publish on Chinese endothelial keratoplasty in an overseas SCI journal
2. Ocular surface reconstruction and severe ocular burn care
   • Ocular surface reconstruction and comprehensive management for chemical and thermal burns, symblepharon, and cicatricial keratoconjunctival diseases. Professor Yuan Jin's team developed drug-eluting sustained-release contact lenses to treat fungal corneal ulcers, selected as one of the "2016 Top Ten News in Chinese Ophthalmology"
3. Artificial cornea (restoring sight in end-stage corneal blindness)
   • In 2015, performed South China's first bio-engineered corneal transplantation (featured in a BBC documentary as one of "Five Major Advances in Chinese Science and Technology"); in January 2020, completed South China's first domestic collar-button artificial cornea transplantation, restoring sight in five patients with severe corneal blindness, with Guangzhou as one of six clinical trial sites nationwide; on 21 February 2023, completed Guangdong's first Mihe artificial cornea transplantation, with the patient's best-corrected vision reaching 0.63 three days after surgery
4. Keratoconus and corneal ectatic disorders
   • Prospective controlled studies on the mechanisms and treatment of keratoconus with new insights; offers corneal cross-linking (CXL) and related treatments, with findings widely recognized by international peers
5. Infectious corneal diseases and corneal ulcers
   • Precise diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of fungal, bacterial and viral corneal diseases; management of complex cases such as corneal ulcers and perforation
6. Dry eye and lacrimal (tear-duct) diseases (China's first specialty clinics)
   • Building on China's first specialized dry-eye clinic and first specialized lacrimal-disease clinic, providing systematic care for dry eye and lacrimal disorders
7. Corneal morphology and advanced imaging diagnostics
   • Research in corneal morphology and biomechanics; precise diagnosis supported by the Center's ultra-high-resolution OCT, multimodal ophthalmic imaging and other advanced imaging technologies
8. Corneal injury and repair
   • Basic and clinical research on corneal injury repair, infectious eye diseases, and retinal/choroidal injury and repair, offering new strategies for complex ocular surface injury
9. Ophthalmic emergency care
   • The Center operates a 24-hour ophthalmic emergency service for chemical eye injuries, corneal ulcer perforation, purulent endophthalmitis and other ophthalmic emergencies

Expert Team

• Prof. Chen Jiaqi: renowned corneal specialist and foreign member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences; a principal founder of the Cornea Department
• Prof. Huang Ting: chief physician and doctoral supervisor; member of the Cornea Study Group of the Chinese Medical Association Ophthalmology Branch and editorial board member of Chinese Journal of Ophthalmology; expert in all types of corneal transplantation, especially endothelial keratoplasty, deep lamellar keratoplasty, limbal transplantation and transplantation for chemical burns; among the earliest in China to perform endothelial and deep lamellar keratoplasty; principal investigator of two NSFC projects
• Prof. Yuan Jin: Deputy Director of ZOC, professor and doctoral supervisor; National Ten-Thousand-Talent Program leader, chief scientist of a National Key R&D Program project, and Guangdong Provincial Medical Leading Talent (first batch); Deputy Director of the Youth Committee of the Chinese Ophthalmological Society; member of the APOIS (APAO Imaging Section) and founding member of the Asia Dry Eye Society (ADES); expert in corneal transplantation and ocular surface reconstruction, advanced ophthalmic imaging and tissue engineering; has completed nearly 5,000 corneal transplant and ocular surface reconstruction surgeries
• Prof. Zhou Shiyou: chief physician and doctoral supervisor; postdoctoral fellow at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University; Deputy Head of the Cornea Study Group of the Guangdong Medical Doctors Association Ophthalmology Branch; expert in complex corneal and ocular surface diseases, corneal transplantation and ocular surface reconstruction, comprehensive management of ocular burns, and complex combined anterior–posterior segment surgery; Associate Editor (Anterior Segment) of BMC Ophthalmology
• Prof. Liang Lingyi: diagnosis and treatment of corneal diseases, ocular surface diseases and immune-mediated eye diseases
• Prof. Gu Jianjun: corneal transplantation and ocular burns; participated in South China's first domestic collar-button artificial cornea transplantation
• Wang Zhichong, Zhong Xingwu, Deng Xinguo, Gong Xiangming, Feng Chunmao, Chen Longshan and others: members of the Center's Cornea Department expert roster, experienced in corneal and ocular surface diseases and corneal transplantation
• Shao Yingfeng: clinician in the Cornea Department

Suitable Conditions

• Corneal blindness / severe corneal blindness, including repeated corneal transplant failure, severe ocular burns (chemical/thermal), autoimmune-related and cicatricial keratoconjunctival diseases (indications for artificial cornea implantation)
• Corneal opacity, corneal leukoma and corneal scarring
• Keratoconus and other corneal ectatic disorders
• Infectious corneal diseases: fungal, bacterial and viral corneal ulcers, etc.
• Ocular surface diseases and reconstruction: symblepharon, ocular surface reconstruction after chemical/thermal burns, pterygium, etc.
• Dry eye and lacrimal (tear-duct) disorders
• Corneal endothelial disorders (e.g., endothelial decompensation) requiring endothelial keratoplasty
• Ophthalmic emergencies such as corneal trauma, corneal perforation and corneal ulcer perforation
• Patients requiring corneal transplantation, deep lamellar/endothelial keratoplasty, or limbal transplantation

Address and Contact

• Ouzhuang Campus (main): No. 54 Xianlie South Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (Postal code 510060)
• Zhujiang New Town Campus: No. 7 Jinsui Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (Postal code 510623)
• Main line: 020-66607666; English website phone: 0086-20-87330000
• Website: www.gzzoc.org.cn (English: www.gzzoc.org.cn/en)
• International / special needs email: [email protected]

For a quick overview of the department, see the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center Cornea department page.

Ready to explore corneal treatment in Guangzhou? Contact Medora for a free, personalized consultation. We'll review your eye condition, match you with the right cornea specialist, and coordinate your entire journey — from medical record translation to post-surgery follow-up. For acute chemical eye injuries and other emergencies, remember that the Center operates a 24-hour ophthalmic emergency service.