Primary and Secondary Students Diagnosed with Myopia and Astigmatism

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the number of primary and secondary students diagnosed with myopia and astigmatism over the last five years as a result of eye checks in schools; (b) what are the current eye-care campaigns in schools; and (c) whether there are assistance plans in place for students from lower-income families to obtain corrective lenses.

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) conducts vision screening in preschools and schools. Over the last five years, the proportion of students with vision problems, including myopia and astigmatism, has been stable at about 28% among Primary 1 students, 65% among Primary 6 students, and 70% in Secondary 4 students.

Since 2001, HPB and the Ministry of Education (MOE) have put in place the National Myopia Prevention Programme. NMPP aims to delay the onset of myopia and reduce its progression in children, through public education targeting young children, their parents and teachers to inculcate good eye care habits, and vision screening to detect and correct poor vision early.

Spending more time outdoors can prevent or delay the onset of myopia. Under a NurtureSG initiative, the Early Childhood Development Agency requires that children in a full day preschool programme spend at least half an hour outdoors daily. HPB has also been advocating for children to take part in outdoor activities after school and on weekends.

To make spectacles affordable and accessible to students from lower-income families, HPB partnered ophthalmic optics company Essilor to establish the Spectacles Voucher Fund in 2006. This provides students on MOE's financial assistance schemes who require spectacles with a $50 voucher for a spectacle frame and a voucher for free lenses.