Chen Bang was born into a military family in Changsha.

Inspired by his family, he tried unsuccessfully to join the army at age of 17, but was rejected because of his color-blindness. He then obtained a master’s degree in business management from Hunan University and began his career with a state-owned enterprise in Changsha. At 27, he decided to set up his own business and launched a coconut juice company. He met with great success, but lost everything when China’s real estate crisis hit. He then embarked on a theme park business revolving around Taiwanese culture, but the investment fell through due to tensions between the two countries. 

His career took a turn for the better in 1997, when he met a retired ophthalmologist who recommended the sector to him.

He began by launching an ophthalmology service in public hospitals. Then, in 2001, he launched his 1st private hospital. This was the beginning of AIER.
The company is listed in Shenzhen, Spain and Singapore. The Group is committed to international expansion and in 2017 acquired Clínica Baviera S.A. (Europe’s largest ophthalmic medical institution) AW Healthcare Management in the United States, before taking a 35% stake in ISEC Healthcare Ltd. two years later (a well-known ophthalmic organization in Southeast Asia).
The group’s success stems from several factors, according to Chen Bang. First and foremost, research. Chen quickly understood importance of integrating new technologies and practices into his hospitals. In 2012, Chen launched the « AIER Eye Hospital Group Research Fund », with $7M invested each year. AIER has 8 institutes, each dedicated to a specialty (Keratoconus Institute, Refraction Institute, Retina Institute, etc.), 3 research centers and innovative platforms such as the AIER-ICT joint digital ophthalmology laboratory.

In 2013, AIER opened a school of ophthalmology in cooperation with South Central University.

AIER then cooperated with other renowned universities such as Hubei University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University, Anhui Medical University, Tianjin University, Sichuan University, etc. with the aim of building integrated education and research platforms to train top talent.
Finally, specialization in ophthalmology. The group was able to create a strong identity and in-depth expertise in a sector which, at the time, was underdeveloped in China. Thanks to government support, Chen Bang has also been able to make its services accessible to a wide range of patients. This virtuous collaboration has on the one hand enabled the development of access to quality care previously limited to the most privileged, and on the other, enabled the AIER group to expand its activities.

AIER Eye Hospital is now the market leader in China.

The Group has over 760 hospitals, including 640 in mainland China, 7 in Hong Kong (China), 1 in the USA, 90 in Europe and 10 in Southeast Asia. The group has filed over 450 patents. AIER has an average growth rate of 33% and generates the highest revenues of any Chinese competitor. AIER employs over 50,000 staff, including 3,000 ophthalmologists and optometrists (domestic and foreign), with a large number of thesis supervisors, master’s supervisors, doctors, post-docs, foreign academics and even basic experts with extensive clinical experience. The network of ophthalmological services covers more than 3 billion people worldwide.
AIER hospitals are very active in cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment and retinal diseases. Chen Bang is married and still lives in his hometown of Changsha.