The Shenzhen Volunteer Federation said Friday that it had set up a volunteer team to help teenagers in the city protect their eyes and is now seeking volunteers to join the team.
More than 100 people signed up to become volunteers within two hours after the federation sent out the message on its official WeChat account. Many are professional practitioners like opthamologists and opticians. A lot of residents from other walks of life have also registered to join the volunteer team.
Various activities aimed at promoting knowledge about eye protection will be held at U-stations and schools.
According to the latest research by the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of myopic patients in China has reached 600 million. About 36.5 percent and 65.3 percent of fourth and eighth graders, respectively, in China are afflicted with near-sightedness.
Official figures from Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that five in every 10 students in the city have vision problems. Using electronic devices for long periods and spending insufficient time doing outdoor activities are the main causes of near-sightedness.
Helping promote knowledge about eye protection is one of the federation’s focuses. The organization held a charity campaign in June to provide eye examinations for 1 million registered volunteers in the city.