Myopia rate among Chinese children, teenagers falling

The prevalence of myopia among Chinese children and teenagers was showing a decline, according to the statistics released by the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration on Wednesday.

The statistics showed that the overall myopia rate among Chinese children and adolescents was 51.9 percent in 2022, a fall of 0.7 percentage points from 52.6 percent in 2021, and also dropped by 1.7 percentage points from the 53.6 percent of the results of the national myopia survey conducted in 2018.

Among the students with myopia, the proportions of mild, moderate, and high myopia were 53.3 percent, 37 percent, and 9.7 percent, respectively, with a drop in the proportion of high myopia.

The overall myopia rates for primary school, junior high school, and senior high school were 36.7 percent, 71.4 percent, and 81.2 percent, respectively.

According to the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, the country will continue to promote myopia prevention and control work, further strengthening the monitoring and assessment of myopia among children and adolescents. Techniques suitable for myopia prevention and control will be promoted. It will also carry out promotion work to popularize science, enabling students, parents and teachers to learn about how to use and protect eyes, and helping the younger generation develop healthy eye habits.