Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City, the rate of children with refractive errors is up to 75.6%, of which the number of children with myopia accounts for 52.7%.
These are alarming figures, presented at the launching ceremony of the Community Health Program "Healthy Eyes Brighten the Future" on the occasion of World Sight Day (October 10) with the theme "Prioritizing Children's Eye Care", organized by the Central Center for Health Communication and Education (Ministry of Health) in collaboration with the Central Eye Hospital on October 7.
A survey on the status of refractive errors in children in some primary and secondary schools in 2020 in Hanoi and 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City by the Central Eye Hospital showed that the rate of children with eye problems, especially myopia, is increasing.
In Hanoi, about 51% of children have refractive errors, of which myopia accounts for 37.5%, hyperopia accounts for 8.2% and astigmatism is 5.3%. In Ho Chi Minh City, the rate of children with refractive errors is up to 75.6%, of which the number of children with myopia accounts for 52.7%.
Meanwhile, another survey in the 2019-2020 school year, also conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), recorded the rate of students with refractive errors at more than 27%. Thus, the number of students with eye problems in Ho Chi Minh City has increased rapidly over time.
In addition, many children in rural, remote and isolated areas with eye diseases have been detected and treated promptly.
“Increasing the rate of students who are screened for vision loss, prescribed glasses and trained in vision training to 40% by 2025 is a target for child and student health care of the Ministry of Health. That is the reason why the Ministry of Health organizes this program” - Deputy Minister of Ministry of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong emphasized.
Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong, Director of the Central Eye Hospital, also acknowledged that the rate of myopia in children is increasing, especially in cities, even in many classrooms, over 50% of students are myopic.
Congenital (genetic) myopia accounts for about 30%. This defect is very difficult to prevent and control if children are not screened or proactively go to eye clinics. The remaining 70% is related to daily lifestyle. Typically, prolonged nearsightedness, early exposure to electronic devices,... or the habit of often sitting indoors and not doing outdoor activities.
“Myopia in particular and eye diseases in general limit children’s ability to learn. If not detected and intervened early, myopia will progress rapidly, making children more myopic. Intervention will limit complications caused by myopia,” said Mr. Dong.
In the coming time, the program will be spread through many diverse and interesting activities such as "Healthy Eye Festival" combining eye examination, organizing games for students and seminars for parents at 20 kindergartens and primary schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The program is one of the efforts of the health sector and stakeholders on the journey to care for and protect the eyes of Vietnamese children.
