Children getting myopia at a young age increases the risk of worsened vision later in life, a study by the Singapore Eye Research Institute has found.
Parents should try their best to delay myopia in their children by making sure they spend time outdoors, says Prof Saw Seang Mei from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, who headed the study.
Prof Saw and her research team studied nearly 1000 children over several years. Those who were diagnosed with myopia between the ages of 3 to 6 ended up with high myopia of more than 500 degrees on average by age 11. “The younger the child who has myopia, the higher the chance of his final degree being high, because the duration of progression is longer,” explains Prof Saw.
Singapore has one of the world’s highest myopia rates, with approximately 7 in 10 teenagers having the condition.
Media Coverage:
- The Straits Times, 7 Oct 2016
- TODAYOnline, 6 Oct 2016
- Channel NewsAsia, 7 Oct 2016
- Lianhe Zaobao, 7 Oct 2016
- The New Paper, 7 Oct 2016
- Tamil Murasu, 7 Oct 2016
- Berita Harian Online, 7 Oct 2016