On August 30, 2018, in order to implement the important instructions and directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the issue of myopia among students, and to effectively strengthen the prevention and control of myopia among children and adolescents in the new era, the Ministry of Education, together with the National Health Commission, the General Administration of Sport, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the National Press and Publication Administration, and the National Radio and Television Administration, jointly formulated and issued the "Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Myopia among Children and Adolescents". The plan sets a goal to control the myopia rate of 6-year-old children in China to around 3% by 2030.

The implementation plan proposes that by 2023, efforts should be made to reduce the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in the country by more than 0.5 percentage points each year based on the 2018 level, and reduce the myopia rate in provinces with high incidence by more than 1 percentage point each year. By 2030, the plan aims to achieve a significant decrease in the incidence of new myopia among children and adolescents, a significant improvement in overall visual health, and a myopia rate of around 3% among 6-year-old children. The myopia rate among primary school students is expected to be reduced to below 38%, while the myopia rate among junior high school students is expected to be reduced to below 60%, and the myopia rate among high school students is expected to be reduced to below 70%.

The implementation plan specifies the prevention and control measures that should be taken by families, schools, medical and health institutions, students, and relevant government departments, and emphasizes the responsibilities and tasks of the eight departments in preventing and controlling myopia. In particular, it calls for increased law enforcement inspections on the production, distribution, and sales of glasses and lenses, and the investigation and punishment of false and illegal advertisements for myopia prevention and control products. The plan also proposes the implementation of a total control system for online games, limiting the number of new online games, exploring age-appropriate warning systems that are in line with national conditions, and taking measures to restrict the time minors spend on gaming.

The plan emphasizes that the main leaders of provincial-level people's governments should personally take charge of myopia prevention and control work. It also calls for the establishment of a national evaluation and assessment system for myopia prevention and control work among children and adolescents, verifying the myopia rates of children and adolescents in each region in 2018, and conducting evaluations and assessments of provincial-level people's governments starting in 2019, with the results made public to society.

The plan points out that children and adolescents are the future of the country and the hope of the nation. The high and continuously increasing myopia rate among Chinese children and adolescents, as well as the trend towards younger ages and more severe cases, has become a major issue affecting the future of the country and the nation. The entire society must take action and work together to protect children's eyesight and give them a bright future.

The "Implementation Plan" proposes that by 2023, efforts should be made to reduce the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in the country by more than 0.5 percentage points annually, based on the rate in 2018, and reduce the rate by over 1 percentage point annually in provinces with high myopia rates. By 2030, the plan aims to significantly decrease the incidence of new myopia cases in children and adolescents, and to significantly improve the overall level of visual health. The myopia rate for 6-year-old children should be controlled to around 3%, the myopia rate for primary school students should be reduced to below 38%, the myopia rate for middle school students should be reduced to below 60%, and the myopia rate for high school students should be reduced to below 70%.

The "Implementation Plan" clearly outlines the preventive and control measures that families, schools, medical and health institutions, students, and relevant government departments should take. Firstly, parents should increase their children's outdoor activities and exercise, reduce their extracurricular study burden, ensure their sleep and nutrition, correct their poor eye use habits, monitor their visual health status, and promptly take them to regular ophthalmic medical institutions for examination if any abnormality is found. Secondly, schools should reduce students' academic workload, strictly follow the "zero starting point" normal teaching, ensure that the classroom lighting and hygiene standards are 100% compliant, adjust students' seats monthly and their desks and chairs height every semester, strictly organize all students to do eye exercises once in the morning and once in the afternoon, supervise and correct students' poor reading and writing posture, ensure that primary and middle school students engage in physical activities for more than one hour every day, and guide students to use electronic products in a scientific and standardized manner. Schools should also equip themselves with medical staff and necessary medical equipment, conduct two visual acuity tests per semester, and raise students' awareness and ability to protect their own vision actively. Thirdly, medical and health institutions should strive to achieve an eye health and visual acuity check coverage rate of over 90% for children aged 0-6 years old from 2019 onwards and establish electronic health records for children and adolescents' visual health. Comprehensive hospitals at or above the county level should provide ophthalmic medical services. Fourthly, students should strengthen their awareness that "each person is responsible for their own health," actively learn and master scientific eye health knowledge, and develop healthy habits.

"The Implementation Plan" clarifies the responsibilities and tasks of eight departments for preventing and controlling myopia. The first is to deepen the reform of physical education and health education teaching in schools, improve school sports facilities, strengthen the sports and health teaching staff, and the construction of institutions such as primary and secondary school health clinics. The second is to establish myopia prevention and control centers and vision health care stations at all levels. Before the end of 2019, mandatory standards favorable for protecting vision will be issued. The third is to increase outdoor activities and sports facilities for children and adolescents, and promote the opening of public sports facilities to children and adolescents. The fourth is to arrange reasonable investments and actively support relevant departments in carrying out comprehensive myopia prevention and control work for children and adolescents. The fifth is to improve the policy for title evaluation of school doctors, health teachers, and health education teachers in primary and secondary schools and universities. The sixth is to increase the enforcement and inspection of the production, circulation, and sales of glasses and lenses, and crack down on false and illegal advertising of myopia prevention and control products in accordance with the law. The seventh is to implement total control over online games, control the number of new online games, explore age-appropriate warning systems that conform to national conditions, and take measures to restrict the use of minors. The eighth is to give full play to the role of radio and television, newspapers, the internet, new media, and other forms, use public service advertisements, and promote myopia prevention and treatment knowledge in a multi-level and multi-angle manner.

"The Implementation Plan" emphasizes that the main leaders of each provincial government should personally take charge of myopia prevention and control work. The establishment of a national evaluation and assessment system for myopia prevention and control work for children and adolescents is proposed. The myopia rate for children and adolescents in each region in 2018 will be verified, and starting in 2019, each provincial government will be evaluated and assessed, and the results will be made public to society.