More than 60% of Taiwanese people are shortsighted. The Health Promotion Administration has launched a new campaign to encourage parents to pay more attention to kids’ eye health in the early years. Until the age of 12, children have what is known as a “hyperopia reserve.” That means they start will good eyesight which may deteriorate. But good eyesight can be prolonged with good habits. Taking breaks from screens and spending lots of time outdoors are the main tips for protecting eye health.

A preschooler leads his parents in a performance of the “Eye Health Bop.”

Preschooler
In the lyrics, it teaches us how to look after our eyes.

Parent
The lyrics tell us that we need to go outside often and stay off digital devices.

The “Eye Health Bop” includes lines with tips on eye care and health habits to cultivate. For every 30 minutes you work on a screen, rest your eyes for 10 minutes. Spend at least two hours outdoors every day. The song is highlighting the importance of eye health for children and parents.

Wei Hsi-lun
Health promotion Administration deputy head
Almost every child has what we call a hyperopia reserve. That’s why we always want children of preschool or school age to delay the onset of shortsightedness. That reduces the risk of extreme shortsightedness in the future.

Many people get shortsighted in childhood. On average the degree will increase by 75 to 100 degrees every year, eventually impacting life and study capacities. How can you prevent that? Families have a lot of influence in how they bring up and educate their kids.

Yeh Yu-ching
Professor of early childhood education, NCYU
Don’t give them devices. You want to delay the use of phones for as long as possible. If they don’t use them in preschool, they can always use them at elementary school. If they don’t use them at elementary school, they can use them in junior high. I think that delaying it as much as possible is an extremely important point. Secondly, you must spend time with your children. When children feel bored, they actually need someone there, a family member to spend time with them.

A survey by the Health Promotion Administration shows that spending more than 11 hours outdoors per week will reduce the incidence of developing shortsightedness within one year by 55%. But in this age of technology, more and more pre-school children are using digital devices. Caring for our eyesight is lifelong. Helping kids develop good habits could protect them from extreme shortsightedness for life.

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