AIM:To survey the eyesight status of students in the Zhejiang Province of China and its influencing factors, thereby providing a recommendation for eyesight protection of pupils.

METHODS: Totally, 6600 school students aged from 7 to 17 in Zhejiang Province were included while their eyesight status in correlation with relevant factors such as physical activity attitude and duration spent with computer and TV were investigated. Visual inspection was performed by using standard logarithmic vision acuity charts.

RESULTS: The prevalence of poor vision among high, middle and primary school students in China's Zhejiang Province has reached 71.1%, exceeding its level of 2005 and also the national average level in the same period. The rate of poor vision among 7-17 years old students increased with age, being fastest in children aged 9 years old and the rate of poor vision in girls is higher than in boys. The eyesight of primary and junior school students was not significant different between urban and rural areas, while the eyesight of urban was better than that of rural high school students. The students' attitude toward sports and time spending with sports in addition to other factors had a positive effect, whereas time spent in front of TV and computer did not significantly affected their eyesights.

CONCLUSION: Age, sex and urbanization influence the development of students' eyesight and it is worth to pay close attention to the positive effects of physical activity.