[Strengthening the prevention and control of visual impairment among children in China]

Children's visual health serves as a strategic cornerstone for national health and human capital, exerting a lifelong influence that profoundly shapes individual development and social well-being. At present, visual impairment among Chinese children is characterized by a high overall prevalence and a complex, multifactorial etiology. Major conditions include refractive errors, amblyopia, strabismus, congenital cataract, congenital glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity, and cerebral visual impairment. A substantial proportion of these impairments are preventable or curable; however, the current prevention and control system remains constrained by limited public awareness, insufficient alignment of screening, diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, and a fragmented service system. In response, this paper focuses on delineating the core etiologies and multidimensional health hazards of childhood visual impairment, identifying key bottlenecks in existing prevention and treatment practices, and exploring theoretically grounded and practically integrated strategies to establish a tiered, collaborative, and efficient prevention and control pathway. This effort aims to consolidate progress in addressing childhood visual impairment in China, reduce avoidable visual impairment, and ultimately improve the overall level of children's visual health nationwide.