Shine
28th August 2023
Children with myopia throng hospitals ahead of new semester
By Cai Wenjuan
Parents take their children for eye checks and new glasses at the end of the two-month summer vacation this week.
With the start of the new school semester on Friday, local eye and pediatric hospitals in Shanghai have been crowded in recent days as parents take their children for vision checks after the two-month summer vacation.
Many children probably need to opt for a new pair of glasses after the heavy academic burden and over-exposure to digital screens during the holiday, doctors pointed out.
The incidence of myopia, or near-sightedness, among Chinese children and minors is 52.7 percent, affecting 35.6 percent of primary school students, 71.1 percent of middle school students and 80.5 percent of high school students.
"We found that many children's myopia has worsened after the holiday, with parents rushing to take them for eye checks and new glasses," said Dr Zou Juan of Shanghai Yida Hospital's ophthalmology department.
"It is very important to control the development of myopia. If the myopia becomes serious, it will cause many complications and irreversible damage to the vision.