The future of the world is in children's hands, and much of that future depends on healthy eye sight. But according to the latest research by China's National Health Commission, as of last year, more than half of China's children and teenagers suffer from myopia or nearsightedness. CGTN's Wu Lei finds out more.

Another child getting her eyesight checked. Everyday, Doctor Li Xiaobo examines dozens of children suffering from myopia. Li says aside from traditional genetic factors, the causes for children's nearsightedness have changed a lot in her 20 years of practice.

LI XIAOBO, DIRECTOR OF OPHTHALMOLOGY HANGZHOU CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL "Abuse or improper use of electronic devices are the main causes of the high myopia rate."

A recent report by China's National Health Commission found that over 53% of China's children and teenagers suffered from myopia in 2018. Nearsightedness is not curable with current medical techniques, making prevention important.

WU LEI HANGZHOU "Myopia has become one of the major hurdles for children's health. Doctors say those who are taking care of children, including teachers and parents, should take more effective measures to protect their eyesight."

Living in this digital world, teachers also use more electronic devices like PCs and tablets to improve their quality of teaching in the classroom. Many teachers say these modern technologies are just tools, the key is to find a perfect balance between standard teaching and electronic teaching.

LYNN LI, CHINESE SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER HUILI SCHOOL HANGZHOU "I believe it is necessary to limit how much we use these electronics."

13-year-old Chen Qile just started to wear his first pair of glass earlier this year. He says it is his bad habit at home to blame.

CHEN QILE, GRADE 7 STUDENT HUILI SCHOOL HANGZHOU "My previous habit at home was not well-formed. I always hid to read books and novels in a bad posture without my parents' permission."

And that is why teachers also remind parents to take more measures to limit the use of electronics at home.

KASH-LEE BANE, YEAR 6 HOMEROOM TEACHER WELLINGTON COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL HANGZHOU "They also need to realize there should be a set-limit for how much time they are accessing electronics."

Instead of sitting in classrooms, students in China are encouraged to take part in more sports and outdoor activities to prevent myopia and maintain health. So far 22 provincial governments have joined hands with the Ministry of Education and the National Health Commission, vowing to cut the overall myopia rate among children and teenagers by at least 0.5 percentage points a year from 2019 to 2023. WL, CGTN, HZ.