Lecture raises awareness of children's eye health
- By Li Huiru
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 21, 2019
The high rate of myopia in Chinese teenagers has become a growing concern in recent years, according to a report released by China Consumers Association. The report reveals that parents in China don't take enough measures to protect children's eye health.
In order to bring attention to the eye health of children and teach both parents and children about myopia prevention, the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) invited Wei Wenbin, a renowned doctor from Beijing Tongren Hospital, to give a lecture on myopia prevention on May 17 in Beijing.
Wei, who is also an executive council member of the CSCLF, stressed the importance of myopia prevention in his lecture, emphasizing the various complications that may be caused by severe myopia, the limitations of current myopia surgery, and the incurable nature of the condition.
"In your daily life, while doing sports or studying, healthy eye sight brings convenience. Some jobs have high requirements for vision. For example, many children want to be police officers or pilots, and want to go to military school," Wei said.
According to 2017 statistics from the World Health Organization, the number of myopia patients in China has reached 600 million, with a youth myopia rate of 70%, ranking first in the world. The myopia rate among primary school students is close to 40%. In contrast, the primary and secondary school students in the United States have a myopia rate of only 10%.
In an effort to communicate the importance of myopia prevention, Wei described a real case he encountered.
"I helped a child with severe myopia rebuild his vision in Yunnan province several years ago when I was travelling there under the CSCLF's Youth Vison Care project," Wei said. "The child later studied hard and was admitted to university. You can see how important our eyes are for our future."
Wei shared tips for preventing myopia, suggested firstly that children engage in more outdoor activities.
"Children should ensure that the daily outdoor activities are no less than two hours and no less than ten hours a week," he said, adding that a healthy diet also plays an important role in preventing myopia. He suggested the children maintain a balanced diet and eat fewer fried foods and sweets.
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