Effectiveness of National Myopia Prevention Programme's Strategies for Primary School Students
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the targets and effectiveness measurement of the National Myopia Prevention Programme (NMPP) as raised by Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung explained that the programme aims to delay myopia through annual screenings and parental workshops, achieving a Primary 1 prevalence rate of 26% in 2023 against a target of 30%. Effectiveness is monitored via severity levels in selected schools, where moderate and high myopia rates have declined among both primary and secondary students since 2013. Specifically, high myopia decreased from 3% to 2% in primary schools and from 11% to 7% in secondary schools over the ten-year period. These figures highlight the success of the NMPP’s multi-pronged approach in stabilizing myopia prevalence and reducing severe progression through school and community partnerships.
Transcript
10 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Health (a) what targets has the Ministry set for the National Myopia Prevention Programme to delay the onset, and reduce the progression, of myopia for children in Singapore; (b) if there are no targets set, whether the Ministry will consider setting targets to lower the prevalence of myopia among primary school students; and (c) how does the Ministry measure the effectiveness of the National Myopia Prevention Programme.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Health Promotion Board (HPB) screens Kindergarten 1 to Primary 4 children under the National Myopia Prevention Programme (NMPP). The programme aims to delay the onset and progression of myopia in children through annual vision screening, workshops to equip parents with strategies to develop good eye care habits in their children and partnerships with schools, ophthalmologists and eyecare providers in the community on myopia prevention initiatives.
HPB tracks the proportion of Primary 1 (P1) school children with uncorrected visual acuity of ≥ 6/12 as a measure of onset of myopia. Since the inception of NMPP in 2001, myopia prevalence rates in P1 children have decreased and stabilised at 26% in 2023, achieving HPB's target of 30% or lower.
In addition, HPB monitors myopia severity levels1 in selected primary and secondary schools as an indicator of myopia progression. The prevalence of low myopia in selected primary schools remained stable at 20% in 2023 compared to 19% in 2013. Over the same period, moderate myopia decreased from 9% to 7% and high myopia decreased from 3% to 2%. Similarly, in selected secondary schools, the prevalence of low myopia remained stable at 27% in 2023 compared to 28% in 2013. Over the same period, moderate myopia decreased from 20% to 18% and high myopia decreased from 11% to 7%.