The shortcomings of China’s myopia control strategies

Abstract

We read with interest the comment by Tuo et al. [1] which reviewed China’s policies on combating myopia and highlighted the positive contributions of these policies in addressing the myopia epidemic among Chinese children and adolescents. Undeniably, the Chinese government has achieved some success by implementing standardized, nationwide anti-myopia measures through various normative policies.

However, we observed that nearly all the policies mentioned in the comment advocate the practice of Chinese eye exercises. In some policies, schools are even mandated to conduct these exercises 1–2 times daily. In fact, since 1963, Chinese eye exercises have been implemented nationwide in primary and secondary schools. Despite their over 60-year history, there has never been strong evidence to support the effectiveness of these exercises in improving vision [2]. Despite the accumulating medical evidence, the practice of performing Chinese eye exercises in schools has persisted.