More than half of Taiwanese five-year-olds myopic or pre-myopic

A vision screening pilot conducted in 2025 by the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) and National Taiwan University has revealed that more than half of Taiwanese five-year-olds are myopic or pre-myopic.

A statement on the HPA website explained that cycloplegic refractive examinations were performed on 14,570 Taiwanese five-year-olds as part of the pilot.

The pilot found that 9.5% of children included in the study were myopic, while 48.5% were pre-myopic. The pilot was delivered across seven counties and cities within Taiwan.

HPA Director-General, Dr Ching-fen Shen, highlighted that vision care is a crucial aspect of children’s health.

“Kindergartens are an important venue for promoting children's health,” she said.

It is hoped that more counties and cities in Taiwan will join the pilot programme in 2026–2027.

“We will provide maximum support for promoting screening based on the different circumstances of each county and city,” Shen said.

Professor I-Jong Wang, of National Taiwan University, noted that the earlier that myopia develops, the greater the risk of high myopia in the future.

“The results of this pilot programme show that the combined proportion of myopia and pre-myopia among preschool children reached 58%, highlighting the importance of early intervention,” he said.