Youth myopia center opens

Shanghai Vision Health Center, which specializes in myopia prevention and treatment among children and teenagers, was established on Wednesday as part of efforts to build a citywide adolescent eye health network, the Shanghai Health Commission said.

The city will establish a city-district-community network aimed at diagnosis and treatment of myopia as well as prevention.

Comprehensive vision health services including education, myopia screening, treatment, intervention and follow-up visits will be carried out among people below 18 years old, the commission said. The services will cover 80 percent of the target population within this year and reach a full coverage by 2020.

About 56.6 percent of local minors suffer from myopia, 3 percentage points higher than the national level, and the incidence is rising by 1 to 2 percentage points annually.