Chinese Children In Malaysia More Myopic, Say Optometrists

KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 (Bernama) -- About 50 percent of Chinese pupils in Malaysia were myopic or short sighted compared to Malays (15 percent) and Indians (17 percent), said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (UKM) Optometry Department head Prof. Dr Norhani Mohidin.
"I don't know why the Chinese make up a large percentage. I'm still trying to find out why," she told Bernama at the two-day Third Asia Cornea and Contact Lens Conference organised by the Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO) and UKM's Department of Optometry, here, Monday.
The conference which began Sunday, was participated by some 250 optometry professionals from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines.
According to a speaker from Australia at the conference, the prevalence of myopia among school children was not just found among the Chinese in Malaysia, but in other places too.
"Let's say that ethnicity could be one of the factors of myopia, but this is still being researched," said Research Professor of the School of Optometry, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, Prof Dr Nathan Efron.
Efron said myopia could be hereditary, and added that: "if parents wore glasses, then there is a chance that the children will have myopia, too."
Meanwhile AMO's president Dr Chung Kah Meng said based on the research carried out by the association and UKM from 1980s to 2000, there was a 40 percent chance that a child would inherit myopia from both parents, 20 percent from only one parent who was myopic, and 10 percent if the parents were not myopic.
Children in the urban area were also prone to develop myopia at an early age compared to children in the rural area, he said.
Efron said this was because urban children spend far longer time watching television or play video games.
"In the urban area these days, children were taught to read from as young as two years old and that could also lead to myopia because they have the book close to their eyes and try to focus on how to read," he said.
The three experts said those with myopia must have their eyes regularly checked at least once in six months to reduce the progression of myopia.
On contact lenses, Efron said that the silicone hydrogel lens considered safer than the conventional lenses but Malaysians are not aware of it though its available here since the last six years.
This was because it has a high oxygen performance, which allows eyes to breath normally and was good for extended wear including during sleep, he said.