For the first time since myopia was flagged as a problem among children in Singapore, fewer kids are becoming short-sighted.  A six-year study by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) showed there has been a 5 per cent drop in the number of children who have had to turn to spectacles.

The dip in numbers, believed to be the first in the world, is the likely result of a comprehensive 10-year National Myopia Prevention Programme that promotes early intervention and good eye-care habits in schools, said the board.

About 20,000 pupils between seven and 12 years old from 12 primary schools took part in vision screenings in HPB's survey. It found that while 38 pupils out of every 100 had myopia in 2004, the number dropped to 33 in 2009. Singapore has one of the world's highest rates of myopia. About 65 per cent of children aged 12 here are short-sighted.
     
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that while the figures from the study attested to the good efforts made, individuals should play their part.  'I know how difficult it will be to tear you away from your computer screens and your iPhones, even for a second. But I encourage you to try to get outdoors every now and then,' he said at the launch of the National Eye Care Week at Pan Pacific Singapore on Saturday.

Since 2001, the HPB has tried to improve the myopia situation here by mainly targeting children.  Through its annual screening, started in the 1980s, HPB reaches half a million children yearly, and about 80,000 are referred to its refraction clinic for further assessment. It started screening kindergarten children in 2002.  The board encourages schools to get pupils to spend time outdoors and to take a break from looking at the computer or reading, whenever possible. Pupils are also educated through pamphlets and exhibitions.  HPB also has a fund that needy students who need to wear spectacles can tap.

The battle with myopia will go on and go bigger. Early next year, the Singapore National Eye Centre will open a paediatric myopia clinic that will provide therapy solutions and education. HPB will also reach out to even younger children. It started a pilot programme six months ago to provide vision screenings and educate children aged three to five, and their parents, on good eye-care habits.

PREVALENCE OF MYOPIA IN CHILDREN AGED 12 Singapore 65% Taiwan 61% Urban China 40% Britain 30% Australia 12%

About 30 childcare centres are involved in the pilot. Over the next three years, the programme will be extended to all 800 centres in Singapore, said HPB chief executive officer Ang Hak Seng.  'The interesting part is, how are we going to communicate with young children? At such a young age, we are now going into storytelling, acting, skits, so that it is fun and entertaining,' he said.  Currently, 16 per cent of kindergarten children are myopic, said the HPB.

One parent who has realised the importance of good eye-care habits is public relations director Casuarina Peck. The 44-year-old mother has two children: a daughter aged 12 and a son aged nine.  When her daughter had to wear glasses two years ago, she and her husband decided to make their children's eye care a priority. The eye-care pamphlets her daughter brought home from school taught them the right habits to inculcate in their children.  Her son has managed to keep his vision perfect. Said Madam Peck: 'When they read and study, we make sure they do so in a well-lit room. We also encourage them to go to the playground in the evenings or cycle around.'