Society must be engaged to tackle scourge of weak eyesight, expert says

A national political adviser called for a national strategy and the involvement of the entire society on Sunday to curb the increasing rate of nearsightedness.

Wang Ningli, also head of the Ophthalmologic Center at Beijing Tongren Hospital, said at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that the success of myopia prevention efforts was in the participation of parents and society as a whole.

Wang said levels of nearsightedness are now very severe in China and that many children in kindergarten have myopia. There is also a high rate of myopia and weak eyesight among Chinese juveniles.

He also said schools alone cannot do the job and it is vital that parents realize that shortsightedness is a serious threat to health.

Parents and schools should work together to ensure at least one and half hours of outdoor activity every day for students, as well as a reduced academic workload and that less time was spent on electronic devices, Wang added.

With myopia levels rising, the Ministry of Education and the National Health Commission issued a draft guideline in August laying out measures to tackle the problem among schoolchildren.