Finding focus, gazing beyond

During a class break, students do eye exercises. [Photo provided to China Daily]

About a third of China's 77 officially impoverished county hospitals have an ophthalmology department, Yang says.

So, the nonprofit collaborated with local health departments and hospitals to set up vision centers and train professional optometrists.

Longling People's Hospital's president Yang Jicheng says the hospital's vision center has screened 127 schools and nearly 40,000 students in the past two years. Over 4,700 students were given free glasses during the period.

"This is a very innovative project that creates a 'win-win-win' situation among students, schools and hospitals," he says.

It has significantly improved students' academic performance, Longling education bureau official Yang Lizhi says.

The number of involved students who enroll in first-tier universities has increased from 6.8 percent in 2014 to nearly 11 percent, which is above county-level cities' average.

Students' performance on the high school entrance examination has also improved over the years.

"Student performance can be affected by multiple causes, including family and teachers," Yang Lizhi says. "Our teachers think vision correction has a positive academic impact."

Shirman believes Education in Sight is one of the forces shaping China's young generation's charitable mindset.

"China is only going to have more responsibility on a global stage," he says.

"I think developing this mindset of giving and supporting people outside of your community is important. Such a mindset shift is occurring. But it needs people to support it. That's part of what we're doing."

Editor: John Li