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Why do so many Koreans wear glasses? A comparison between two pictures -- one of eighth-grade students from St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Papakura, New Zealand taken last May, the other of first-grade students from a middle school in Gangnam, Seoul taken during their winter vacation this January -- makes for some startling data. In the New Zealand picture, four students out of 34 wear glasses -- two of them Koreans. In the photo of Korean middle school students, in contrast, 15 out of 35 wear glasses. Including the three who left their glasses off, perhaps for aesthetic reasons, the figure rises to 18 or half the class. That would suggest 4.4 times as many Korean students wear glasses as their New Zealand counterparts.
So why is Korea a four-eyed nation? Experts identify the main culprit as genetic predisposition. A study some time ago suggested that East Asia and Scandinavia are more likely to see incidences of myopia or nearsightedness than the rest of Europe or North America. But genetic explanations go only so far.
Father Bob Morpimore in Auckland gives a plausible explanation. He credits the good eyesight of New Zealand children to healthy habits. They usually go to sleep as early as 7-8 p.m., and wake up at 5-6 a.m., he says. Lee Jun-young, president of Korean students¡¯ association of Auckland University, agrees, saying New Zealanders are less prone to potentially eyesight-damaging activities like reading, watching TV, using the computer and spend more time outdoors, which in turn greatly helps eyesight.
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Experts agree on the importance of habits, with a dozen local ophthalmologists singling out use of personal computers and long hours of watching TV as major reasons for deteriorating eyesight.
They stress that more widespread use of computers and mobile phones can harm the eyes. Prof. Kim Myung-jun of Seoul¡¯s Asan Medical Center says that children¡¯s eyes are already strained at school and in after-school tuition and then come under additional strain when children spend what little free time remains playing computer games at home. ¡°No wonder so many children are short-sighted when they play games and send messages on the tiny screens of their handsets,¡± says Prof. Moon Jung-il of St. Mary's Hospital Catholic University of Korea.
Inappropriate posture and dim light are also problems. People who like to read lying down are more likely to develop myopia, according to Prof. Seo Kyuong-yul of Yonsei Hospital. Reading books lying down puts three times more strain on the muscle in the eye, which in turn causes eye fatigue, he says. Prof. Kim Yong-ran of Kim¡¯s Eye hospital puts it succinctly: ¡°Putting aside the TV and the computer is better for children¡¯s eyesight than 100 doctors.¡±
(englishnew@chosun.com )
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