Plan to boost eye care services by 2030

China's health authorities have unveiled a five-year plan to expand access to eye care services, with a focus on tackling childhood myopia, addressing cataracts, which are particularly common among seniors, and strengthening eye care capacity in rural areas.

By 2030, the nation aims to raise refraction screening rates steadily among children aged 6 and under, as well as primary and secondary school students, while improving awareness of refractive error care among the elderly, according to the plan released on Tuesday by the National Health Commission and two other government departments.

The plan also calls for the effective refractive error coverage rate to increase steadily. The rate refers to the proportion of people who need near — or distance-vision correction and receive spectacles, contact lenses, refractive surgery or other interventions that achieve quality outcomes.

Other goals include raising the cataract surgery rate to more than 4,000 operations per 1 million people and improving the overall effectiveness of the treatment. The plan also aims to increase the number of ophthalmologists to more than 5.3 per 100,000 people and expand the optometrist workforce.

By 2030, more than 93 percent of county-level general hospitals are expected to have an ophthalmology department or an ear, nose and throat and eye care unit.

More than 95 percent of county-level regions will be capable of independently diagnosing and treating common eye diseases, while all counties will be able to provide cataract surgery.

To achieve these objectives, the document calls for stronger efforts in health education, early screening, diagnosis and treatment, as well as improvements in related medical and rehabilitation services.

Medical institutions are required to provide screening for common eye diseases, including myopia and other refractive errors, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma, among high-risk groups such as children and teenagers, middle-aged and older adults, and patients with chronic conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure.

Paired assistance programs and mobile medical teams will enhance local capabilities for performing cataract surgery while advancing standardized operating procedures and enhanced training for medical personnel.

Myopia and cataracts have been priority areas in China's eye care services in recent years.

Official data shows that the overall myopia rate among students in China has declined steadily in recent years, falling 3.7 percentage points from 2018 to 49.9 percent in 2025.

Cataracts affected about 130 million adults in China in 2020, accounting for about 22.78 percent of the age group, according to official data. The number is estimated to exceed 240 million by 2050.

The document also stresses the integration of artificial intelligence, big data, 5G and other emerging technologies into eye care services. Such technologies will be used to support remote diagnosis, analyze medical imaging results and facilitate screening and diagnosis.