By KHT Staff. Regenerated AI illustration image.
KAOHSIUNG — An eye specialist is urging parents to have young children’s vision checked after citing a nearsightedness rate of 45.91% among the city’s elementary school pupils, according to a Liberty Times report.
Hung Chi-ting (洪啟庭), an ophthalmologist and executive at the Da Te Yang Eye Clinic Alliance, said checking kids during preschool can help identify nearsightedness, lazy eye, and eye alignment problems early. Parents should seek an examination if a child repeatedly moves closer to a screen, squints at distant objects, or tilts their head to see, he said.
Hung recommended more outdoor activity and breaks from close-up work. Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration advises at least two hours outdoors each day, along with regular vision checks. Its guidance suggests resting for 10 minutes after 30 minutes of close-up work.
The figure cited for Kaohsiung is striking, but the report does not identify the year or method behind the 45.91% estimate. It also compares that figure with one for Tokyo pupils without establishing that the two were measured in the same way. Parents concerned about a child’s eyesight should arrange an eye examination rather than rely on symptoms alone.
