Parents ignorant of child myopia

NST: Poor eyesight afflicts more than half the country’s 5.7 million schoolchildren, and the problem is going unnoticed by many parents.
Having more than 2.8 million short-sighted schoolchildren puts Malaysia among the world’s top five countries with the worst child myopia, according to a study.
Singapore heads the list with four in five 18-year-old males short-sighted, followed by Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
"This is a big problem that needs to be tackled," said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia consultant optometrist Dr Bariah Mohd Ali.
When short-sightedness is caught early, its progression can be slowed. However, if uncorrected or wrongly treated, a mild case could develop into severe myopia.
Parents should ensure their children’s eyes were screened, especially once they began schooling, said Dr Bariah, who also lectures at UKM.
They should also take notice when their children complained of headaches and blurry vision, she said.
A child may also squint or frown, and may hold books or other objects very close to his face.
He may also sit very close to the television screen and seem uninterested in sports or other activities that require good distance vision.
For the study, the first of its kind in the country, 15 UKM researchers including Dr Bariah spent five years assessing eye problems among schoolchildren in primary and secondary schools.
Chinese schoolchildren topped the list, with 40 per cent of them short-sighted. This was followed by Malay and Indian schoolchildren.
There has been a rapid rise in the incidence of myopia, in Asia and around the world, which indicates that environmental factors play a big role.
Children are spending more time reading books or using the computer screen, which influence the progress of the disease.