Health, education authorities step up intervention on child myopia

BEIJING — China's health and education authorities pledged to work together to control child myopia on April 3.

Health departments will help schools and parents to conduct targeted intervention, said Ma Xiaowei, head of the National Health Commission, at a meeting between the commission and Ministry of Education.

Ma said priority would be given to young students, and health departments would assist schools in measures such as increasing outdoor activities, as well as reducing electronic device use and homework.

Health departments will also carry out a special monitoring program on the eyesight of school-age children and allocate more resources to the eyesight examinations, and counselling services, he said.

Education departments will supervise schools to take concrete measures and evaluate their performance, Minister of Education Chen Baosheng said at the meeting.