Up to 80% Chinese teenagers suffer from short sightedness

More than one-third of the Chinese population suffers from nearsightedness, with youth below 19 accounting for a large proportion, according to an official data.

The number of people with myopia in China has reached 450 million, which accounts for one third to half of the population, the Global Times reported citing data released by the China's National Health Commission.

The World Health Organisation has said that China has 600 million people with myopia and more than 70% of students in the country's secondary schools are near-sighted.

"Sixty to 80% of young people between the ages of 13 and 19 are myopic, and the number is close to 90% in colleges and universities," Long Qin, specialist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, told state-run Global Times.

China will mark 23rd national Sight Day tomorrow. Adolescent myopia has been the theme of the annual event since 2016.

"The prevalence of myopia in students increases along with the grade. This is mainly due to the pressure of education amid the fierce competition for high school and college entrance examinations," Wang Ningli, director of Beijing Tongren Hospital, a comprehensive State-run facility that specialises in ophthalmology, said.

The prevention and treatment of myopia takes time since the population with the condition is large and the number is still rising."It will take about five years to have tangible effects," Wang said.

Wang added that it is important to coordinate with education departments, schools and other social organisations to bring down the learning load at school and have sufficient time for outdoor activities which is effective in preventing myopia.

Low-dose Atropine (0.01% concentration), a treatment to slow myopic progression in children, is under safety inspection in China and is expected to be put on the market within two years, Wang said.