The China Association of Health Promotion and Education kicked off a program in Beijing to raise public awareness about macular degeneration. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The association predicts that by 2020, the prevalence of the disease will rise by 50 percent over current levels.

As Chinese society grows increasingly gray, and more seniors use electronic products such cellphones and computers, eye health problems, especially macular degeneration, will become more threatening, and it will also become increasingly difficult to keep seniors away from factors that may harm their eyes, said Wei Wenbin, the director of ophthalmology at Beijing Tongren Hospital.

Meanwhile, the aim of the program is to raise public awareness about the disease and improve the ability of medical staff to diagnose and treat it so that early detection and intervention can ensure better outcomes for patients, said Tao Maoxuan, the deputy director of the association.

The association plans to achieve its goal through health education, including lectures by medical experts and distribution of information brochures.

The program is part of China's plan to reduce eye health problems among the elderly, said Wang Ningli, the vice-president with Tongren Hospital.

Since the start of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), China has established a basic blindness prevention and management system that involves the government－from the national to the city level－and about 94 percent of hospitals in the counties now provide eye care, he added.

Chengdu-based Kanghong Pharmaceutical, a Chinese pharmaceutical company, sponsored the program.