Out of focus
Study shows that myopia rampant among Tokyo kids
Ninety-five per cent of junior high school students and 77 per cent of elementary school students in Tokyo are nearsighted, according to a study published in an online ophthalmology journal by a university research team.
Since severe myopia can lead to blindness, experts said measures need to be taken to prevent children from becoming nearsighted.
A Keio University research team, led by ophthalmology professor Kazuo Tsubota, conducted a survey of 689 elementary school students and 727 junior high school students in Tokyo in April and May 2017. By applying light to their eyes using a special device, the researchers were able to closely study the focal length of each eye and any
deformation of the students’ eyeballs. In keeping with international research trends, the team determined that children with a focal distance of two metres or less were nearsighted.
The survey found 63 per cent of first grade elementary school students were nearsighted, while roughly 80 per cent of third- to sixth-grade students had myopic vision. The survey also found that more than 95 per cent of second-year junior high school students were nearsighted. Four per cent of elementary school students and 11 per cent of junior high school students had severe myopia with
a focal length of less than 17 centimetres.
Recent studies have shown that spending time outdoors is effective in slowing the progression of myopia. The rise in nearsightedness is believed to be due mainly to the fact that people are spending more time indoors and more often looking at things that are close to them, such as when using a smartphone or studying.
Since people with nearsightedness have deformed eyeballs, those with severe nearsightedness are prone to having their optic nerve or retina damaged.