Myopia, or shortsightedness, is a huge problem in China, particularly among teenagers. Little wonder therefore that there is no shortage of parents willing to try to do something about it, financially. And no shortage of those willing to take their money.
近视在中国是一个大问题，尤其是在青少年中。因此，难怪不乏愿意在经济上为此做点什么的父母。而且不乏愿意拿钱的人。
Those folks have been likely attracted by advertising slogans such as, “Golden eyes and silver teeth; eye care means spending money” (金眼银牙，护眼就是花钱), in order to brainwash parents in their sales’ pitch. Many also like to remind that maintaining eyesight is a “long-term process”, in efforts to persuade parents to continue to invest.
这些人很可能是被“金眼银牙，护眼就是花钱”等广告语所吸引，在推销中给家长洗脑。 许多人还想提醒，保持视力是一个“长期的过程”，以努力说服父母继续投资。
One lady perhaps taken in by such claims was Ms. Wang, whose daughter attends primary school in Taiyuan of Shanxi Province. Last year, the young girl began to have trouble seeing the blackboard in class, reports Nanjing Daily.
王女士可能被这种说法所蒙蔽，她的女儿在山西省太原市上小学。据《南京日报》报道，去年，这个小女孩开始在课堂上看不清黑板。
Wang took her to a vision-care centre near her home, which claimed that through acupressure, her daughter’s prescription can be improved from -5.0 to -4.5. The girl’s mother wasted no time on purchasing a massage card for three courses of treatment, each priced as high as ¥3,800.
王女士带她到家附近的一家视力保健中心，该中心声称通过穴位按摩，可以将女儿的视力从-5.0提高到-4.5。女孩妈妈赶紧买了一张三个疗程的按摩卡，每个疗程的价格高达3800日元。
After half a year of the massage treatment, Wang took her daughter to a local hospital for an independent review. It was found that the girl’s vision had become worse, not better.
经过半年的按摩治疗后，王女士带着女儿到当地医院进行独立复查。结果发现，女孩的视力不但没有好转，反而变得更差了。
Wang also said the centre had been advising parents not to go to hospital, saying that wearing glasses will also make vision worse. Instead, they should purchase three courses of treatment, plus accompanying eye-care products, costing nearly ¥20,000.
王还表示，中心一直建议家长不要去医院，称戴眼镜也会使视力变差。相反，他们应该购买三个疗程的治疗，再加上配套的眼部护理产品，花费近2万日元。
Those who parted with the 20 grand also reported a worsening of eyesight.
那些放弃20格兰德的人也报告说视力恶化了。
When questioned by parents, some vision centres have cited children’s lack of cooperation, or insufficient food and outdoor activities, as reasons for their products and services being ineffective.
当家长询问时，一些视力中心表示，孩子们缺乏合作，或者食物和户外活动不足，是其产品和服务效果不佳的原因。
A stringer for this very publication even confided that she too had been taken in by a scam, spending several hundred renminbi on hydrogel patches. Worn every night for a month over the eyes for 20 minutes before sleeping, the patches had little-to-no effect on her 12-year-old daughter’s myopia.
该刊物的一名特约记者甚至透露，她也被骗了，花了数百元购买水凝胶贴片。连续一个月，每天晚上睡觉前佩戴 20 分钟，这些眼罩对她 12 岁女儿的近视几乎没有影响。
Feng Tianfeng, an optometrist with Shanxi Provincial Eye Hospital, advises parents first go to professional-medical institutions for examination and consultation when choosing myopia-prevention and control methods for their children. Feng also said parents should only select appropriate programs according to their children’s individual conditions and avoid the blind use of medicines and equipment.
山西省眼科医院验光师冯天峰建议家长在为孩子选择近视防治方法时，首先到专业医疗机构进行检查和咨询。冯还表示，家长应根据孩子的个体情况选择合适的方案，避免盲目使用药物和器械。
The Nanjinger further reminds readers that despite all claims they may encounter, there remains no cure for myopia.
《南京人》进一步提醒读者，尽管他们可能遇到各种说法，但近视仍然无法治愈。
China’s National Health and Health Commission has also recently gone on the record, clearly stating that even with today’s current medical technology, myopia cannot be cured. The Commission has moved to demand that expressions such as “rehabilitation”, “recovery”, “degree reduction”, “myopia cure” and “myopia killer” should not be used in any short-sightedness-related advertising, on account such terms will mislead consumers.
中国国家卫健委最近也立案，明确表示，即使以今天现有的医疗技术，近视也无法治愈。欧盟委员会已采取行动，要求任何与近视有关的广告中不得使用“康复”、“恢复”、“降低度数”、“近视治疗”和“近视杀手”等词语，因为这些词语会误导消费者。
As to the reasons for the high incidence of short-sightedness in China, the most likely culprit is the fact that teenagers spend excessive time indoors studying in low-light levels.
至于中国近视发病率高的原因，最有可能的罪魁祸首是青少年在室内弱光下学习的时间过长。
Experts say recent studies suggest children should spend approximately 3 hours each day in light levels of at least 10,000 lux, in order to be protected against myopia. That’s about the levels experienced by someone under a shady tree, wearing sunglasses, on a bright summer day.
专家表示，最近的研究表明，儿童每天应该在至少 10,000 勒克斯的光照下度过大约 3 小时，才能预防近视。这大约是一个人在明媚的夏日在树荫下、戴着墨镜时所经历的水平。
Readers interested in reading more about the China myopia phenomenon may do so via this link.
有兴趣了解更多有关中国近视现象的读者可以通过此链接进行阅读。
