Bringing Clear Vision Closer to Communities: How China Is Advancing WHO’s SPECS 2030 Vision

When a mobile eye clinic arrived in a remote township in western China last year, 76-year-old Ms. Wang was one of the first in line. She had struggled with blurry vision for years but had never been able to travel to a city hospital for care. Within minutes, the clinic’s team examined her eyes, explained her condition, and arranged follow-up care.

“I didn’t know help could come to us,” she said afterwards. “Now I can see the faces of my grandchildren again.”

Stories like hers reflect China’s longstanding efforts to improve access to eye care, which are now being further strengthened through the WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative — a global effort to expand access to refractive error services and ensure that everyone, regardless of income or geography, can enjoy clear vision.

The WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative was launched in 2024 as a global framework to help countries strengthen refractive error services through five pillars: Services, Personnel, Education, Cost, and Surveillance.

In China, SPECS is helping connect existing innovations, services, and evidence-generation efforts within a shared roadmap for more equitable, people-centred eye care. In October 2025, WHO China and the National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness jointly launched the SPECS 2030 Initiative and the China National Action Plan for Refractive Error, supporting efforts to improve access to affordable spectacles, strengthen service delivery and public awareness, and enhance monitoring systems for evidence-based planning.

Across China, institutions, hospitals, schools, and technical partners are contributing to efforts aligned with the SPECS framework in different ways. Among them, the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC), Sun Yat-sen University, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Eye Care and Vision, has been working with WHO and national partners to adapt global tools, expand community outreach, and strengthen evidence generation.

One example is the use of 5G-enabled mobile eye clinics, which bring services directly to underserved communities. Over the past two years, these mobile clinics have travelled more than 340,000 kilometres and provided eye examinations and consultations to over 300,000 people in areas where access to specialist care was previously limited. Children received their first vision screenings, older adults gained access to timely diagnosis and referrals, and local health workers received practical training to strengthen services within their own communities. Many of these community-based approaches reflect the principles now promoted through SPECS, including people-centred services, early detection, health education, and stronger referral systems.

School-based vision programmes are also helping children see more clearly — both in the classroom and beyond. Standardized screening approaches, teacher engagement, and digital referral systems are making it easier to detect vision problems early and connect families with care. These efforts are increasingly supported by digital innovation.

Following real-world testing and launch in China, WHOeyes — a free WHO vision-testing application — is now being used in outreach activities and community programmes. Families can use a smartphone to check their vision and better understand when professional care may be needed. Meanwhile, MyopiaEd, WHO’s digital toolkit for myopia education, has been translated and adapted into Chinese to support parents, teachers, and students with practical, evidence-based guidance on protecting eye health and encouraging healthy behaviors such as increasing outdoor time.

China is also contributing to global learning and evidence generation. National experts and technical institutions are supporting WHO’s work on monitoring effective refractive error coverage (eREC) and strengthening surveillance approaches that can help countries better understand gaps in access and quality of care. At the same time, local studies and pilot programmes are generating lessons on service delivery, digital innovation, and community engagement that may help inform future efforts both within China and internationally.

 “China has accumulated extensive experience in eye health promotion, service delivery, and innovation over many years,” said Mr Martin Taylor, WHO Representative to China. “The SPECS initiative provides an important opportunity to further connect these efforts within a common global framework, strengthen equitable access to refractive services, and contribute valuable lessons toward achieving global eye health goals.”

For Prof. Lin Haotian, President of ZOC and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Eye Care and Vision, bringing services closer to people is essential: “Many of the approaches now reflected in SPECS — such as community outreach, digital tools, school-based screening, and integrated referral systems — have already shown promising results in China,” he said. “Through collaboration with WHO and national partners, we hope these experiences can continue supporting efforts to improve access to eye care both in China and globally.”

As China continues to advance SPECS, more individuals like Ms. Wang are regaining clearer vision and the ability to live independently, learn and work with greater confidence, more children are seeing the classroom clearly, and more communities are gaining access to the care they deserve.

A clearer future is not only possible—it is already taking shape.