China Marks National Eye Day with Focus on Dual-Screen Era

China observed the 31st National Eye Day on June 6, 2026, with a nationwide campaign spotlighting the growing challenge of protecting vision in the “dual-screen era” — a term describing the modern reality of people simultaneously using multiple digital devices such as smartphones, computers, tablets, and televisions throughout their daily lives. The campaign, led by the National Health Commission (NHC), carries the theme “Vision for Everyone” (人人享有眼健康) and aims to raise public awareness about digital eye strain and the importance of lifelong eye care, according to Xinhua News.

A Growing Public Health Crisis

China faces one of the world’s most severe myopia epidemics. According to data presented by NPC Deputy Fan Xianqun, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the overall myopia rate among Chinese children and adolescents stands at 50.3% — with rates climbing from 11% among six-year-olds to 81% among senior high school students. Fan presented these figures during the National People’s Congress in March 2026, as reported by NPC.gov.cn.

A landmark study from Tsinghua University, published in The Lancet Regional Health, provides even starker projections. The largest study of its kind, covering 5.09 million participants across 119 studies from 1998 to 2022, found that while overall myopia rates may stabilize around 2030, high myopia — which significantly increases the risk of retinal detachment, macular degeneration, and glaucoma — will continue rising until approximately 2040. Among 16- to 18-year-olds, high myopia rates are projected to rise from 7.3% in 2001 to 22.1% by 2050, according to Tsinghua University School of Medicine.

The Dual-Screen Challenge

The 2026 National Eye Day campaign specifically targets the “dual-screen vision” (双屏视界) phenomenon. As people increasingly juggle multiple screens for work, education, and entertainment, cumulative screen exposure time has surged, exacerbating digital eye strain and accelerating vision deterioration.

“Myopia is influenced by genetic and environmental factors,” Fan Xianqun told the NPC. “Environmental factors are the main reason for the rapid rise in myopia rates among Chinese youth. Unreasonable eye use behaviors — early and prolonged close reading and electronic screen use — induce and exacerbate myopia.”

Professor Wang Yaxing of Tsinghua University and Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital emphasized the study’s policy relevance: “This study provides scientific evidence and early warning for myopia and high myopia prevention and control among Chinese children and adolescents, with important reference value for future public health policy formulation.”

Policy Response and Recommendations

China has steadily strengthened its myopia prevention framework. In 2018, eight ministries issued a comprehensive plan for myopia prevention and control, incorporating targets into government performance evaluations. In December 2025, 13 departments jointly released the “Five Health” Promotion Plan for Children and Adolescents, emphasizing early screening, early warning, and early intervention.

Fan Xianqun has proposed several targeted measures, including AI-powered screening systems, mandatory eye-protection standards for electronic teaching equipment in classrooms, and compulsory distance-gazing breaks during school hours. He also called for the widespread adoption of low-blue-light, low-flicker certified display products in educational settings.

Professor Huang Tianyin, also of Tsinghua University, highlighted a notable trend: “The narrowing urban-rural gap is noteworthy. Myopia among rural adolescents is becoming increasingly prominent. Prevention and control efforts should be extended to grassroots schools and families.”

Debunking Common Myths

To complement the campaign, the Beijing Health Commission published an article on June 3 debunking four common eye care myths, as reported by Beijing Health Commission. Among the misconceptions addressed: myopia does not self-correct with age; preservative-containing eye drops can damage the ocular surface; cataracts should not wait until “ripe” for surgery; and children’s vision develops gradually — a three-year-old typically has 0.5 vision, not 1.0.

What’s Next

As China’s myopia crisis continues to evolve, the NHC has released 10 official slogans and four public service posters for the 2026 campaign, emphasizing life-course eye health from childhood through old age. With global myopia projected to affect 4.8 billion people — roughly half the world’s population — by 2050, China’s experience in combating this epidemic offers lessons for other nations facing similar challenges. The coming years will test whether the country’s increasingly aggressive policy interventions can bend the curve on one of the most significant public health challenges of the digital age.