China - “Parents with observing eyes have a child with good vision”
After a day-long bus ride, we were excited to find a hotel with a massage place right next door. We checked in and as it was already dark went straight for a massage to bring relief to our aching backs. The two ladies working there laughed at our request for massages and told us that the massage tables in their space were for children only – for eye massages. As they were closing up for the day, we decided to take a closer look the next day.
At the entrance, parents are reminded of their duty to care for their only child's wellbeing. In large Chinese characters it says: “Parents with observing eyes have a child with good vision.” Since 1980, the one-child-policy has been reinforced in urban areas and has led to the phenomenon of each child getting the attention of six adults, that is two parents and four grandparents. This change in society together with the economic changes in China has had an effect to such an extent that the generation born after 1980 even has their own name “Ba Ling Hou”, directly translated “after eighty”. Now, since one's offspring is limited to only one child, parents, naturally want the best for their child – the best education, the best environment, the best foods, and the best treatments.
From the two ladies who run this children's nearsightedness prevention center, we learned that the treatment for nearsightedness only works when it's started right away after the child is diagnosed with nearsightedness or the first symptoms are observed by the parents. The treatment is a mixture of Traditional Chinese Medicine, massage and eye exercises. It takes six weeks, during which the child comes to the center twice a day for massages, applying the medicinal eye mask together with a special facial massage appliance and doing the eye exercises instructed with a red balloon on a stick. Sometimes the treatment also involves dietary requirements. The package deal costs RMB 1000 ($152), a substantial amount for a family in a tier 4 city in China.
The two pediatric nearsightedness specialists ventured into this business after they got laid off from their work at the local sugarcane factory. Not wanting to sit around idle, they came across the organization Black Eyes, took the training course, and set up their own franchise business in their home town. Despite the new healthcare system in China which provides reimbursements for medical care and the fact that their center does not qualify for such reimbursements, business is still going well.
During our visit, multiple children came on their own or were dropped off by their parents. Some kids brought their friends along. They got a free diagnosis and casually joined in doing the eye exercises. There was a carefree and optimistic atmosphere, making the place feel more like a playground than a medical center.
Nearsightedness in China is very common. I remember very well that during my four-year degree of Chinese, most of my German classmates and I got worse eyesight due to constant deciphering of the tiny Chinese characters in our dictionaries and the poor newspaper prints. Later, when I taught at a Chinese middle school, I was surprised to see that one of the two compulsory exercise sessions each day was dedicated to massaging the acupressure points around the eyes. These kids told us that this practice continues and that these visits to the center were in addition to the half hour of eye exercises that they do at school.
Chinese kids have very busy schedules, running from piano lessons to dancing classes, and from their Chinese chess clubs to doing the vast amount of homework that often keep them up until midnight. I am unsure of how effective this combination treatment is in terms of stopping their eyesight getting worse, but it is giving the parents the feeling that they are doing something for their kids while the kids get a chance to get relaxing massages and time to socialize with their friends in a non-competitive environment.
Other interesting facts:
From Wikipedia: "The prevalence of myopia in high school in China is 77.3%, and in college is more than 80%."
From Science Daily: "In fact, a study released in the fall by the National Eye Institute (NEI) found that office-based treatment for patients with a common eye muscle coordination disorder, along with at-home reinforcement, is more effective than home-based programs in isolation."
From a skeptical site: "Remember: no type of eye exercise can improve a refractive error or cure any ailment within the eyeball"
