About 58 percent of the teenagers in Changchun, capital of
northeast China's Jilin Province, have poor vision, according to
a survey released yesterday by the city's Disease Prevention and
Control Center.
The number represented a record high for the past several
years.
The survey involved 30,000 students at 24 primary and middle
schools in Changchun during the first half of this month.
The survey found that 32.9 percent of primary school students
had poor vision, representing an increase of 2.39 percent from the
previous year. And 63.93 percent of middle school students had poor
vision, up 3.73 percent over the previous year.
Reading for long periods and staring at computer screens without
rest are believed to be the main causes of the increase, said Song
Rizhe, director of the Changchun Disease Prevention and Control
Center.
Changchun's teenagers suffer from problems like
short-sightedness, far-sightedness and amblyopia, or dimness of
vision. Short-sightedness is the most common problem.
"There are 52 students in my class, and of those at least 30
wear glasses. That does not include the people who wear contact
lenses for the sake of appearances," Luo Jing, an English teacher
at Changchun No. 6 Middle School, said.
Other classes at the school are similar, she added.
"About 70 percent of Chinese teenagers suffer from
short-sightedness, but less than 5 percent of them are born
susceptible to sight problems. The rest are affected by their
environment," said Wang Chunsheng, an eye specialist of Changchun
Children's Hospital.
The survey showed that about 45 percent of the students' free
time was occupied by homework, while 60 percent of their weekends
were spent taking extra classes.
Reading for long periods and staring at computer screens without
rest are generally thought to harm the eyesight.
"I began to wear glasses when I was 11 years old. I am too tired
every day. I spend almost all my time taking lessons and doing
homework. And last Friday my parents went to visit my grandmother
and didn't come back home that night, so I watched TV until dawn,"
said Cheng Qi, a junior school student said.
Meanwhile, medical professionals warned people against turning
to the variety of medicines and surgical procedures appearing in
television advertisements to correct their vision.
Wang Chunsheng, a specialist at Changchun Children's Hospital,
said people would be better if going to formal hospital for eye
examinations and treatment.
Wang also advised teenagers to moderate their study habits and
to be conscientious about their eyesight while studying, watching
TV and browsing websites. He said teenagers should avoid reading in
the dark or in bed.
He also advised them to rest for 15 minutes after reading for
over an hour and insisted that they get physical exercise.
(China Daily December 26, 2006)