Almost half of middle school students in Ho Chi Minh City are near-sighted while over a quarter of city elementary school kids suffer from the condition, according to a survey conducted in three major Vietnamese cities.
Recent findings from the 2013 portion of the survey show that short sight afflicts 48.2 percent of the middle school students and 25.5 percent of elementary school children in the southern city.
Survey results also indicated that 40 percent of middle school students in Hanoi and the northern city of Hai Phong suffer from the condition.
About 23 percent of elementary school students in Hanoi are short-sighted while Hai Phong reported a slightly lower number, 22.6 percent.
More than a third (34.6 percent) of HCMC elementary school students wear glasses due to optical problems, the survey said, with 45.5 percent of middle school students needing spectacles for the same reason.
The corresponding figures are 27 percent and 38 percent in Hanoi, and 22.6 percent and 37 percent in Hai Phong.
Knowledge of eye care is very important but only 26.4 percent of HCMC elementary school students are aware of habits that can cause harm to their eyes, such as watching TV too closely, reading books in low-light, and using computers for an extended period of time, according to the survey.
Hanoi and Hai Phong outdo the southern city in this area, with the figure rising to 32 percent and 37 percent respectively.
NGO Save the Children and the education departments in the three cities have carried out the survey at 30 local elementary and middle schools since June 2011.
The next portion will be taken from now until 2015, with the participation of two more schools in Ho Chi Minh City.
The entire survey is part of a broader project to provide information on health and nutrition to students at these schools.
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