Visual health crisis

(shìlì jiànkāng wēijī)

According to the National Visual Health Report released by Peking University’s China Center for Health Development in June, China is experiencing a visual health crisis.

The report said that among the overall population over the age of 5 in 2012, about 500 million Chinese people suffered some form of sight defect, among which about 450 million suffered from shortsightedness. It means 1 out of 3 people in China has shortsightedness, which is a very high rate.

According to the report, without effective policy intervention, the prevalence rate of shortsightedness in China’s population over the age of 5 will increase to about 51 percent, which means the overall population with shortsightedness in China will be 700 million.

Shortsightedness is especially prevalent among teenagers. Forty-seven percent of China’s population aged 6 to 15, and 55 percent of those aged 16 to 25 suffer from shortsightedness.

The prevalence of visual problems in China is far above the global average and the problem is getting worse, which will have a negative influence on not only people’s health but also social development.

On the one hand, the high prevalence of shortsightedness in adolescents will undermine national health as well as social, economic and national security.

On the other hand, as China is stepping into an aging society, the prevalence of visual diseases that afflict the elderly will pose heavy economic burden on individuals as well as the society.