One out of every three Chinese people over the age of five is nearsighted, according to a recently released white paper on the visual health of the Chinese population, the first of its kind.

近日发布的首份研究国人视觉健康的白皮书显示，我国5岁以上人群中，每3个人就有1个人是近视。

According to the white paper, 437 million to 487 million, or 35.16 to 39.21 percent, of the Chinese population aged above 5 suffer from myopia — with 29 million to 30.4 million, or 2.33 to 2.47 percent, living with a high degree of myopia.

该白皮书指出，在我国5岁以上的人口中，近视的患病人数在4.37亿至4.87亿之间，比例为35.16%至39.21%。其中，高度近视的比例在2.33%至2.47%之间，患有高度近视的总人口高达2900万至3040万。

Without effective intervention¹, the percentage of myopia patients above age 5 is expected to jump to about 51 percent by 2020, it added.

该白皮书还补充说道，如果没有有效的干预，预计到2020年，我国5岁以上人口的近视发病率将增长到51%左右。

The occurrence of myopia and its harm are irreversible and high myopia can lead to pathological changes in the eye, causing severe and permanent visual impairment, the white paper warned. The disease could also adversely² affect future population quality, as it could be inherited and passed on through families.

白皮书警告称，近视的发生与危害都是不可逆的。高度近视可能导致各类眼底病变，造成严重、永久性的视功能损害。由于近视可以遗传，这种疾病还会影响未来的人口素质。

In addition, prescription³ lenses are a significant economic burden. In 2012, 232 million to 263 million people above the age of 5 had them. About 102 million to 117 million new lenses were demanded by patients every year, costing somewhere between 45.45 billion and 53.25 billion yuan, the paper said.

此外，白皮书还指出，配眼镜带来的经济负担也不低。2012年5岁以上近视人群中，已配镜人数在2.32亿至2.63亿人之间。配镜人群每年配镜1.02亿至1.17亿架次，配镜年成本在454.48亿至532.47亿元之间。