Leung JT, Brown B. Progression of myopia in Hong Kong Chinese schoolchildren is slowed by wearing progressive lenses. The proportion of myopics in this group has increased from 12.1 percent in 1995 to 20.4 percent this year, according to the results of a survey released by the Department of Health yesterday. The results also show that 60.7 percent of sixth graders in elementary schools, 80.7 percent of third graders in junior high schools, and 84.2 percent of third graders in senior high schools suffer from myopia. In addition, the number of seriously myopic children is also on the rise. The proportion of seriously myopic children among sixth graders in elementary schools has increased from 2 percent five years ago to 2.4 percent this year.
Normal eyesight is zero degrees.
The survey was conducted by the department, in cooperation with National Taiwan University and its hospital, and involved a sample of 12,000 students from four million students between the ages of 7 and 18 nationwide. Myopia has been on the increase in Taiwan ever since the first myopia survey in 1983. The department manages the survey every four or five years. The growth of nearsightedness among young children is thought to result from learning to read very young and using computers very young, Chen pointed out. Last year, the department and the Ministry of Education delivered official documents to kindergartens nationwide demanding that children not be taught to read or use computers too early.