Almost half of city kids have eyesight issues

A doctor of B​ach Mai Hospital tests a child’s eyesight. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – More than 40 percent
of students aged from 7 to 13 in big cities such as Hanoi and HCM City suffer
from , with accounting for two-thirds of cases,
according to .

Le Viet Son, head of Bach Mai Hospital’s
Ophthalmology Department, said the main cause was insufficient light or wrong
posture when learning, an increase in the use of computers and television and a
long school day with little time for outdoor activities.

Long learning hours, reading and playing games
online caused an increase in eye-related defects, Son said.

Hanoi Eye Hospital was very crowded on Saturday
because a lot of children came here for eyesight tests and treatment, the Kinh
te & Do thi (Economic & Urban Affairs) newspaper quoted Nguyen Thanh
Nga, a mother of an 11-year-old-child, as saying.  

Most of them were diagnosed with
short-sightedness, Nga said.

Hoang My Hanh, an optician at a shop in Ton That
Tung Street, said the number of children coming to the shop increased sharply
during the holidays, particularly in summer.

Son also said many families only take their kids
to hospitals when they have suffered from short-sightedness for a long time

 “I’m so busy and forgot to take my
daughter to see the doctor earlier so now he suffers from serious
short-sightedness,” Nguyen Anh Tuan, a father of an eighth-grade student, said.

Meanwhile, parents’ knowledge of eye defects is
limited and in many cases they misunderstand optical diseases, Son added.

Vo Thi Que from Hanoi’s Phu Xuyen District, a
mother of a ten-year-old child, said her child suffered from short-sightedness
but does not wear glasses.

She planned to take him to see a doctor in Bac
Ninh Province for eye treatment using acupuncture, the newspaper reported.

Many families also took their children to
optical shops to check eyesight and buy glasses, despite the shops not
necessarily employing qualified doctors or selling quality glasses, Son said.

To protect children’s eyesight, Son said parents
should let their kids play outdoors as much as possible along with limitations
on reading and use of electronic devices.

Children also need to have eye tests twice a
year or when they show signs of poor eyesight. -VNA