The high rate of myopia among young Taiwanese could be the main contributing factor to an increase in retinal detachments, doctors said, citing National Health Insurance Administration statistics.
Retinal detachment is more prevalent in Taiwan than in other nations, especially among those aged 20 to 30, research by Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Department of Ophthalmology doctor Wu Pei-chang (吳佩昌) showed.
Thirteen times more people in the age group have the condition compared with the Netherlands, Wu said, adding that the agency’s statistics showed that more than 100 young people undergo surgery for retinal detachment every year.
Photo: Lin Huei-chin, Taipei Times
The high prevalence of retinal detachment is directly related to the large number of people with high myopia, Wu said.
High myopia is nearsightedness requiring at least minus-6.0 diopters of lens correction.
According to the statistics, the number of people with high myopia has increased by 35 percent over the past five years, or by 5,000 people, Wu said, calling it a “warning sign.”
The prevalence rate for retinal detachment averages about 15 to 17 people per 100,000, National Taiwan Hospital University Department of Ophthalmology doctor Yang Chang-hao (楊長豪) said.
People aged 20 to 30 and those older than 50 are the two primary groups who tend to experience retinal detachments. People in the former group usually develop the condition due to myopia, while the latter develop it due to regression of the vitreous body, or the fluid that separates the lens and the retina, Yang said.
Unlike the US or Europe, more young Taiwanese have the condition than older Taiwanese, Yang said.
The high prevalence among young people should be considered a kind of disease, as myopia could lead to retinopathy, Yang said.
These conditions cannot be treated with laser surgery, Yang added, urging young people to change their habits or risk their condition developing complications.
Cheng Hsin General Hospital doctor Hsu Tsui-kang (許粹剛) said he suspects that the increased use of electronics is related to the growing number of people seeking treatment for retinal detachment.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
RSS