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.
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