China’s top health authority has said nearsightedness among the country’s young people increases at an alarming rate as they mature.
At a press conference Monday, representatives from the National Health Commission said that 81% of China’s high school students are affected by myopia, according to an official press release about the event. Nearsightedness is observed among just 14.5% of school children aged 6 in the country, yet it affects 36% of elementary schoolers and 71.6% of middle schoolers. The findings were based on a survey of over 1.1 million children and teenagers from 4,843 schools across China.
Reducing the rate of myopia among young people has become an important goal for the central government. Last year, eight government departments, including the National Health Commission, jointly released a guideline aiming to reduce the rate of myopia among 6-year-olds to around 3% by 2030, with a target rate of 70% set for high schoolers.
(Image: IC)
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