China's ophthalmic surgery sector is experiencing a period of exceptional growth in 2026, driven by the enormous and expanding burden of cataract disease among the country's rapidly aging population, the booming refractive surgery market serving young myopic adults seeking spectacle independence, and the growing adoption of advanced surgical techniques for retinal, corneal, and glaucoma conditions that require precision ophthalmic knives and blades for safe and effective tissue manipulation. The China Ophthalmic Knives Market reflects this surgical volume growth, with demand for high-quality single-use ophthalmic blades, phacoemulsification incision knives, keratomes, paracentesis blades, and vitreoretinal surgical knives accelerating as China's ophthalmology infrastructure expands in both the public hospital sector and the rapidly developing private ophthalmic hospital and clinic network. The epidemiology of cataract in China is a primary demand driver, as the world's largest elderly population generates an enormous cataract surgery volume that requires precise clear corneal incision construction using high-quality keratomes and side port blades that enable small-incision phacoemulsification technique with optimal wound architecture for wound healing and refractive predictability. China's myopia epidemic, with extraordinarily high myopia prevalence among the younger population driven by intensive near work, limited outdoor time, and educational pressure, has created a massive refractive surgery market spanning LASIK, SMILE, and surface ablation procedures that require ophthalmic knives for flap creation and epithelial removal in surgeon-selected technique variants.

Domestic Chinese medical device manufacturers are developing ophthalmic knife products of improving quality that are gaining market share against imported ophthalmic blades from established international manufacturers, leveraging cost advantages and improving manufacturing precision to penetrate the large volume-sensitive cataract surgery market while international brands maintain stronger positions in premium refractive and vitreoretinal surgical knife categories. The single-use ophthalmic blade market in China is expanding as surgical site infection prevention consciousness grows among Chinese ophthalmologists and hospital administrators, with disposable blade adoption reducing the sterilization burden and infection risk associated with reusable ophthalmic instruments in high-volume surgical settings. Regulatory quality standards for ophthalmic medical devices under China's NMPA framework are being progressively strengthened, encouraging domestic manufacturers to improve their product quality and manufacturing consistency toward international standards that support acceptance in both domestic premium market segments and potential export markets.

Will China's combination of enormous cataract surgical volume, booming refractive surgery demand, and advancing domestic ophthalmic blade manufacturing establish the country as both the world's largest ophthalmic knife consumer market and a globally competitive ophthalmic blade manufacturing center?

FAQ

• What surgical procedures are driving ophthalmic knife demand growth in China? Cataract phacoemulsification surgery requiring precise clear corneal incision keratomes and paracentesis blades, LASIK and SMILE refractive surgery requiring precision microkeratome and lenticule extraction instruments, corneal transplantation procedures requiring lamellar dissection blades, glaucoma filtration surgery requiring sclerotomy instruments, and vitreoretinal surgery requiring micro-incision trocar systems are the primary surgical procedure drivers of ophthalmic knife market demand in China.
• How is the domestic Chinese ophthalmic blade manufacturing sector developing? Chinese medical device manufacturers are investing in precision blade manufacturing technology, quality management systems meeting NMPA registration requirements, and product development programs targeting specific ophthalmic surgical knife categories where import substitution is feasible based on surgeon acceptance and price sensitivity, with cost advantages relative to imported products enabling domestic brands to gain significant market share in the high-volume cataract surgery blade segment while international brands retain stronger positions in premium specialty surgical knife categories.

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