With her eyes feeling increasingly tired and her vision blurry（视力模糊的），16-year-old Tian Ting went to the hospital with her parents in January. She was shocked when she found out that her eyesight dropped from 5.0 to 4.6 in only a term. "A few of my friends have had the same experience lately," Tian said.
In fact, poor eyesight among Chinese primary and high school students rose from 59.2 percent to 70.6 percent in the first six months of 2020, according to the Ministry of Education.
To protect students' eyesight, the Chinese government has worked out new requirements (要求) for school supplies (供应品) and equipments that will take effect (生效) on March 1, 2022. For example, according to the requirements, the size of text in students' textbooks should be no smaller than nine-point. Teachers should also try not to use projectors (投影仪) or other multimedia equipments (多媒体设备) that are too bright, Beijing Daily reported. There are also requirements for desks and classroom lights. For example, these lights should give off (散发) as little blue light as possible.
Blue light is bad for our eyes, as it can kill the photoreceptor cells (光感器细胞) we need for vision, according to Harvard Medical School. Many of the electronic devices we use every day, like our phones and computer screens, give off blue light.
Chinese government has also taken other steps to protect students' eyesight in China. In May 2020, the National Health Commission urged schools to make sure that students have at least two hours of outdoor activity a day.
