Technical standards on children’s eye glasses were released yesterday by the Shanghai Optometric and Optical Association. The standards are the first of their kind in Shanghai and represent efforts to regulate the glasses market and improve children’s visual health.

The standards cover eye-examination procedures, as well as the weight and material of children’s eye glass frames. They are applicable to children between seven and 14 years old.

There are about 600 million shortsighted people in China, according to data released by the World Health Organization last year.

Over 70 percent of Chinese high school and college students experience myopia, and nearly 40 percent of primary school students in the country are shortsighted.

These rates call for stricter optometry and optician requirements for children’s eye glasses, the association said.