Significant strides have been made in the prevention and control of myopia among children and adolescents in the Chinese mainland. As of Friday, the coverage rate of eye health and vision checks for children aged 0 to 6 has reached an impressive 95.1%.
This achievement marks an increase of over 3 percentage points compared to 2020, highlighting the ongoing commitment to children’s eye health.
According to Shen Haiping, an official with China’s National Health Commission, eye examinations for children include refractive tests at 24 months, 36 months, and annually from ages 4 to 6. If any deficiencies are detected, parents are advised to help their children develop good eye habits.
Thanks to these efforts, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in the Chinese mainland dropped to 51.9% in 2022. This represents a decrease of 0.7 percentage points compared to 2021 and a reduction of 1.7 percentage points compared to 2018.
Shen emphasized the need for joint efforts from the government, schools, families, healthcare institutions, and the public. Medical institutions and schools are encouraged to establish coordinated mechanisms that offer health education, refractive screenings, vision checks, and other services to primary and secondary school students.
These collaborative measures aim to further reduce the myopia rate among the youth and promote lifelong eye health. The continued focus on early detection and prevention is crucial in ensuring that children maintain healthy vision as they grow.
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Eye health checks cover over 95 pct of Chinese children aged 0-6
cgtn.com
