Objective To investigate the current situation of eye health care and vision examination services for children aged 0 − 6 years, so as to provide evidence for policy-making.

Methods From September to December 2019, 15 county-level maternal and child health institutions and grassroots health facilities were recruited by convenient sampling from Beijing, Anhui, and Qinghai provinces. Questionnaire survey, on-site observation, and focus group discussions were used to investigate the current situation of eye health care and vision examination services for children.

Results All maternal and child health institutions at district and county levels were equipped with basic rooms and equipment. Grassroots health facilities were equipped with basic equipment, but some were old, damaged, and left unused. There was a shortage of children’s eye health care personnel. The percentage of children’s eye health care personnel in all health technicians at maternal and child health institutions, community health service centers, and township health centers were 9.5%, 5.5% and 2.4% respectively. The difference was statistically significant(χ² = 8.966, P = 0.011). There were no ophthalmologists at community health service centers, and child health care professionals would hold these posts concurrently. Children’s eye care personnel generally received less guidance and training from superiors, being 1 − 3 times/year/person. The coverage of children’s eye health and vision examination services in various regions had reached over 90%. However, on-site observation found that their operational skills were not proficient and standardized.

Conclusion Health institutions need to further upgrade their equipment of eye health care and vision examination, and to improve health personnel’s knowledge, skills, and quality of service.