China’s high myopia rates spark national strategies

Comprehensive measures were implemented to curb rising myopia cases.

China faces a severe myopia epidemic, with over 90% of high school students affected, leading the country to elevate myopia prevention to a national strategy.

“Myopia is a global problem…but the public awareness in myopia, and also awareness in physicians, in policymakers, is not as good as expected,” said Wei Pan, Biostatistician at Aier Eye Hospital Group.

To address this, China has introduced several initiatives, including mandatory biannual myopia screenings in schools. “We did a mandatory myopia screening nationwide by each school twice a year,” Pan shared.

Raising public awareness is critical in China’s strategy. “Taking no actions is not an option… We should really focus on raising public awareness, and advocate for actions,” Pan emphasised. Effective myopia control measures include spectacles, specialised contact lenses, and atropine treatments, all proven to slow myopia progression.

Pan also highlighted the importance of cost control in ensuring accessibility to these treatments. “China…had a cost control strategy, for example, like volume-based procurement,” said Pan, noting that centralised purchasing could improve affordability.

“I’m very optimistic about the East Asian countries taking actions toward myopia prevention and control,” he noted, stressing that increasing outdoor time for children is a simple, yet impactful, preventive measure.