ZEISS Supports the Release of the 2022 Myopia Prevention and Control Trend Report to Safeguard Children's and Adolescents' Vision Health

Shanghai, June 1, 2022 /PR Newswire/ -- On the occasion of Children's Day on June 1 and the 27th National "Eye Care Day" in China, one of the Shanghai events for the 2022 "National Science and Technology Workers' Day," titled "Give Children a Clear World - 2022 China Children and Adolescents Myopia Prevention and Control Trend Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "2022 Trend Report"), was successfully held online. Hosted by the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology, Carl Zeiss, and Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., representatives from associations, industries, and enterprises gathered virtually to review the achievements in myopia prevention and control among children and adolescents over the past year. Starting from the current state of myopia prevention and control in children and adolescents, they emphasized the importance of focusing on eye health throughout the entire life cycle and scientific myopia prevention and treatment. The aim of publishing this report is to raise societal awareness about myopia issues in children and adolescents, further promote public education on eye health, improve standardized diagnostic and treatment services in the field of myopia prevention and control, and provide professional and practical guidance for myopia prevention and control, supporting scientific myopia prevention and treatment.

Report Launch

The "14th Five-Year Plan" for National Eye Health in China (2021-2025), released by the National Health Commission in January 2022, pointed out that eye health is an important component of national health, involving all age groups throughout the entire life span. Efforts must be made to further improve the eye health of the population and continuously promote the high-quality development of China's eye health initiatives. Following the release of the "2021 Trend Report," Carl Zeiss, Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Science and Technology Newspaper again joined hands to compile the "2022 Trend Report." The survey sample of this year’s report covers 1,400 parents of children and adolescents and 400 youths aged 10–15 years. Compared with last year, the scope of the survey participants has broadened, and for the first time, it includes a sample of 300 school doctors from kindergartens, primary schools, and junior high schools, enhancing the diversity and representativeness of the data. The "2022 Trend Report" highlights changes in myopia prevention concepts and behaviors among children, adolescents, and their parents over the past year. It reviews and discusses future trends and key tasks in myopia prevention and combines in-depth analysis from industry experts to provide more practical and actionable myopia prevention suggestions tailored to real-life scenarios for children, adolescents, and their parents.

At the press conference, Ma Xingfa, Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology, expressed his high hopes for the cause of myopia prevention and control among children and adolescents. He pointed out that, as one of the key activities in Shanghai for this year's "National Science and Technology Workers' Day," the press conference and its research findings are a concrete implementation of the "14th Five-Year Plan" for National Eye Health in China (2021-2025). It provides significant guidance for families and schools to prevent and control myopia among children and adolescents during the period of normalized epidemic prevention and control. He expressed that the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology is willing to collaborate with top-tier technology companies both domestically and internationally, uniting professional science and technology workers, leveraging the power of science popularization, disseminating scientific knowledge, promoting the spirit of science, and conveying authoritative voices on eye care to "give children a clear world and a promising future."

Ma Xingfa, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology, sent his regards

Maximilian Foerst, President of Carl Zeiss Greater China, stated in a video address, "As a proactive response to the '14th Five-Year Plan for National Eye Health in China (2021-2025),' our goal is to provide more diverse and in-depth insights through this trend report, which features comprehensive research, authoritative interpretation, and practical recommendations. This will further enhance communication and collaboration among eye care professionals, science communicators, families, schools, and regulatory bodies. Carl Zeiss believes that every child deserves a clear world. We sincerely hope that by continuously integrating and deepening 'full life cycle eye health management,' we can offer a variety of products and solutions to further advance the development of myopia prevention and control in China, thereby better safeguarding the eye health of more Chinese children and adolescents."

Maximilian Foerst, President of Carl Zeiss Greater China, Delivers a Speech

Hu Junping, General Manager of Tencent Health's pharmaceutical industry business, stated that the development of medical informatization and the national focus on comprehensive health are gradually becoming national strategies in China, with achieving eye health being a crucial part. As the ophthalmology healthcare industry incorporates more advanced technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and sensor technology, ophthalmic medical services are moving towards true intelligence and rapidly becoming a part of everyday life for ordinary people. In the future, Tencent will continue to leverage its strengths in professional science communication content and full-platform user engagement to collaborate with partners in building a comprehensive myopia prevention and control knowledge dissemination system.

Hu Junping, General Manager of Tencent Health Pharmaceutical Industry Business, Delivered a Speech

Professor Zhou Xingtao, President of the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, provided an interpretation of the "14th Five-Year Plan for National Eye Health in China (2021-2025)." He stated that the "14th Five-Year Plan" is based on the principles of "three persistences and two priorities," advocating for the establishment of a continuous eye health service system covering the entire life cycle. At the same time, it establishes the working policy of "prevention first, combining prevention and treatment"; clarifies the direction of improving myopia prevention, control, and correction levels; and reaffirms the importance of eye health science popularization and education. It calls for continued strengthening of science popularization in the future to enhance awareness of eye care and support eye disease prevention. President Zhou Xingtao further pointed out, "The prevention and treatment of eye diseases are entirely consistent. Prevention first, combined with prevention and treatment, will continue to promote the transformation of ophthalmology from a disease-centered approach to a people's health-centered approach."

As the policy interpretation came to a close, the "2022 Trend Report" was released with great fanfare under the watchful eyes of the attending guests. Dean Zhou Xingtao continued to provide an in-depth interpretation of the report. The report pointed out that since the launch of myopia prevention and control efforts, China has initially established a myopia prevention and control system and essentially achieved its myopia prevention and control goals. However, it also faces challenges such as the still prominent issue of early-onset myopia, a persistently high rate of high myopia occurrence, and an urgent need for improved parental awareness. Only 67.5% of parents of children aged 0-3 believe that myopia can be prevented; merely 34.5% of parents and 30.5% of teenagers correctly understand the threshold for high myopia. Moreover, both children/teenagers and their parents lack sufficient knowledge about fundus diseases. Only 14.2% of parents and 8.5% of teenagers are aware that fundus diseases are one of the complications of high myopia. Dean Zhou proposed, "New parents lack sufficient initiative and understanding in the 'prevention' aspect of myopia control. It is necessary to establish refractive development records for children and teenagers as early as possible. This visual health record, akin to a school registration file, includes more than ten indicators closely related to refractive development, such as vision, axial length, corrected vision, refraction, intraocular pressure, and fundus conditions. It can help detect early signs of myopia and allow for timely and effective prevention, treatment, and intervention." Dean Zhou also emphasized the need to strengthen education and publicity regarding the dangers of high myopia and avoid the improper use of products lacking evidence-based medical support to prevent secondary harm and potential damage to children and teenagers. The report further calls for the wider promotion of scientifically effective methods for myopia prevention, control, and correction, advocates for standardized diagnostic and treatment models, and promotes the establishment of an integrated eye health service platform connecting schools, hospitals, and families to enhance the efficiency of myopia prevention and control.

Report Interpretation by Zhou Xingtao, President of the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

At the press conference, all participants jointly launched the initiative "Smile to Fight the Epidemic, We Are in This Together," calling on and encouraging the whole society to participate in the popular science education of myopia prevention and control, consolidating the foundation of eye health, and creating a smiling future together.

During the roundtable discussion, Fan Zemin, Deputy Director and First-Class Researcher of the Sports and Health Education Division of the Department of Physical, Health, and Art Education of the Ministry of Education; Zhou Xingtao, President of the Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital of Fudan University; Zou Haidong, President of the Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention Center/Shanghai Eye Hospital; Zhang Fengju, Director of the Medical Optometry Department of Beijing Tongren Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University; and Mao Xinjie, Director of the Optometric Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the Eye Optometry Hospital affiliated with Wenzhou Medical University, participated in a discussion on myopia prevention and control issues, Chinese parents' awareness of myopia prevention, and solutions for myopia during the pandemic, offering insightful perspectives. Deputy Director Fan Zemin pointed out that the new normal of epidemic prevention and control has posed challenges to the myopia prevention work for children and adolescents. He called for collaboration between families and schools to improve the eye-use environment and living habits of children and adolescents, jointly safeguarding their eye health. President Zou Haidong emphasized, "Standardized screening, which balances feasibility and accuracy, is only the starting point. After screening, especially for children with insufficient hyperopia reserve or risk factors, early warnings must be issued, followed by targeted interventions." President Zou also highlighted, "Axial length holds significant potential value in myopia prevention and management. Axial length should be included in the refractive development records, continuously monitoring children's eye health status." Director Zhang Fengju expressed deep concern about the high incidence of high myopia. She advocated strengthening the publicity and education on high myopia and suggested precise prevention and control measures to prevent high myopia and its pathological changes, ensuring future visual and quality of life. Director Mao Xinjie discussed the importance of further popularizing scientifically effective methods for myopia prevention and correction, hoping to promote standardized diagnosis and treatment models and evidence-based correction methods to prevent secondary harm caused by non-standard interventions. Finally, the experts participating in the discussion collectively shared their aspirations and proposals regarding the "2023 China Children and Adolescents Myopia Prevention and Control Trend Report."

Expert Roundtable Discussion

In recent years, the myopia rate among Chinese children and adolescents has been continuously rising, with myopia becoming increasingly common at a younger age and reaching higher severity levels. This has become a significant issue affecting the physical and mental health development of children and adolescents. Carl Zeiss has been actively exploring solutions for myopia prevention and control among Chinese children and adolescents. Today, Carl Zeiss focuses on "comprehensive eye health management throughout the entire life cycle," providing integrated solutions covering myopia prevention and control for children and adolescents, refractive correction for adults, presbyopia treatment for older individuals, precise cataract surgery, as well as addressing retinal diseases and chronic eye conditions. In the future, Carl Zeiss will continue to bring together optometry R&D capabilities from both China and abroad, achieving dual breakthroughs in technological innovation and product implementation. By leveraging its leading optical technology expertise and comprehensive ophthalmic solutions, Carl Zeiss will keep optimizing its range of ophthalmic diagnostic and treatment products, helping the Chinese people achieve better vision and illuminating a brighter future for children and adolescents.