Professor Li Wensheng Honored as Bethune-Style Good Doctor for Ultra-High Myopia and Centenarian Surgeries
Professor Li Wensheng, Vice President of Aier Eye Hospital Group Shanghai Region, has been awarded the seventh National "Bethune-Style Good Doctor" title. With over 30 years of clinical experience, he pioneered a treatment for ultra-high myopia exceeding 2,000 degrees in 2013 and reported surgery for 3,000 degrees and above in 2023. He has performed cataract surgeries on five centenarians, including two aged 105, and completed at least 500 difficult single-eye surgeries. Li also developed a two-step anesthesia method to prevent complications. He has published over 130 papers, edited six monographs, and led 19 research projects.
The seventh National "Bethune-Style Good Doctor" selection results were recently announced. Professor Li Wensheng, Vice President of Aier Eye Hospital Group Shanghai Region, received the national "Bethune-Style Good Doctor" title. Li has been engaged in ophthalmic clinical practice since 1994, accumulating over 30 years of medical experience.
In the field of ultra-high myopia treatment, Li and his team reported a new treatment plan for patients with myopia exceeding 2,000 degrees in 2013, breaking the surgical taboo in this area. In November 2023, the team again reported surgery for myopia of 3,000 degrees and above for the first time internationally. In ultra-elderly cataract surgery, Li successfully performed operations on five centenarians, two of whom were 105 years old. The results were published in the international journal JCRS. Additionally, he has completed at least 500 difficult single-eye surgeries.
Li pioneered a "two-step anesthesia method" that avoids serious complications of retrobulbar anesthesia, providing patients with a painless surgical experience. This achievement has been presented at multiple international academic conferences and published in the international ophthalmology journal Ophthalmic Research. In 2023, it was selected for the National Health Technology Promotion Project.
In research, Li has published over 130 professional papers as first author or corresponding author, with 50 published in internationally renowned ophthalmic journals such as Ophthalmology. His research results have been included in the 70-year major achievements of Chinese visual physiology and cited by Nature magazine, the latest US clinical guidelines, and the eight-year program textbook Ophthalmology. He has edited six monographs including Evidence-Based Ophthalmology and Guide to Safe Clinical Practice in Ophthalmology, co-edited eight works, received nine domestic and international awards including the ARVO award, led 19 research projects covering National Major Special Projects, the National 863 Program, and the National Natural Science Foundation, and has five authorized patents. Li has also trained over 20 doctoral and postdoctoral students and delivered more than 200 domestic and international lectures.
In science popularization, Li has published over 300 original articles and short videos, with total views exceeding 3 million. He authored a nearly 200,000-character ophthalmic popular science book titled "Let Us Join Hands, Rush Out of Darkness, Run Toward Light". He self-funded trips to Yunnan and Ningxia for face-to-face science talks. In 2024, Li was elected as the "Second Medical Science Popularization Innovation Star - Outstanding Individual" and serves as Vice President of the Medical Humanities Branch of the Bethune Spirit Research Association and Chair of the Eye Health Committee.