A social welfare activity to help tackle the levels of cataracts and adolescent myopia in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region came to Ordos city on June 6 — the 25th National Eye Care Day — according to local officials.

The event was originally initiated by the Party committee of the region and the local government in 2015.

Officials said the Bright Travel activity aims to comprehensively review the current situation of cataracts and myopia among young people in the region.

It also aims improve diagnosis and treatment and help those who suffer from poverty, due to the difficulty caused by poor eyesight.

At a ceremony to mark National Eye Care Day held on the same day, Ouyang Xiaohui, president of the Red Cross Society of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, gave a briefing about the progress of the Bright Travel activity and its work schedule for 2020.

In addition, Inner Mongolia’s education department talked about the efforts for the prevention and control of myopia in children and the youth of the autonomous region.

The organizing committee of the Bright Travel activity said there are plans to perform 3,000 to 5,000 free cataract operations for poverty-stricken families in Inner Mongolia in 2020.

There are also plans to complete the eye screening of more than 400,000 children and adolescents during the year. Free glasses will be provided to nearly 3,000 children and adolescents in families living under hardship — and there are plans to perform corrective surgery on 350 children and adolescents suffering with strabismus.

Officials said the activity coverage will be expanded from 57 impoverished counties to 103 counties in the autonomous region.

Ordos, as an important participant of the social welfare activity, has screened a total of 46,195 cataract patients and performed 2,128 free operations since 2015.