China Law Blog

A while ago, during some activity, I found myself in the group of over 30 Chinese people, 28+ of whom were wearing glasses. I never noticed that before, but at that moment it struck me that there must be something behind that.

Did that begin occuring in this generation or is that the side-effect from hundreds of years of malnutrition?

Sergey --

You are right. I have no idea. Is it genetic? Is it because of massive reading/studying? Is it the food? The water? The pollution? The music? Overprescribing? Prestige of wearing glasses? The . . . .?

Anyone know? Because I sure don't.

Urbanization is the main cause of the nearsighted and glasses. Human eyes are not evolved to spend that much time looking at stuffs in less a meter away for extended period of times and Chinese kids starting from elementary schools are studying for at least 8 hours a day with books just about 40 cm away and outdoor exercises are not encouraged. Plus, the urban jungle doesn't provide a lot of opportunities to see far.

The problems are wide spread in Japan, Taiwan and Korea as well. It's very difficult to find any college graduated without glasses in these countries.

China has lower rate of nearsighted comparing to those countries as there are many college graduated coming from the country side and they did have chance to take care of their eyes when they are kids.

It's bit strange. Laser eye surgeries are very common in Shanghai, Beijing and other costal cities. In fact, I think there is a price war going on as the ads in Shanghai taxi showing "Eye Surgery, Every Day Low Price!" LASIK technique has been perfected in the past 20 years and it's almost full automated. The NIDEK EC-5000 eye tracker is used to do the setting. Most of surgeries are monitored by kids just got out of med schools and takes only between 10 ~ 15 minutes for both eyes. Plus, Lianyungang isn't exactly a convenient location for affluent middle class from Shanghai or Beijing, especially LASIK is a walk-in surgery with no need to stay in hospital. Who in Shanghai or Beijing will go all the way to Lianyungang for that?

Lianyungang here: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/jiangsu/lianyungang/index.htm

The cost of LASIK is about USD$1,800 in the US but most insurance policies won't cover it because it's considered to be cosmetic. I think the cost in China is about $200 ~ $300. Wrap that up with a ticket, hotel stay and a tour of Shanghai and Beijing, I see a business model for medical tourism. Medical tourism are hot! The Thailand, Philippine, and Singapore are gearing up for the business as well as India. Icon LASIK is running a 2 for 1 special on their web site. (http://icondenver.com/2-for-1-lasik.html )

I suspect patients in their Lianyungang are more likely to speak American English then Chinese. ;)

To Sergy or something, about the question:
"Did that begin occuring in this generation or is that the side-effect from hundreds of years of malnutrition?"

I tell you why: this is because Chinese people work very hard. You can't imagine how intense the competition is in China. even since they are 7 years old, they have to spend all their spare time to do homework or learn extra knowledge. That's why so many high school students in USA who came from China get the highest marks.
What did you do when you were 7 yr old? Solving disappointing math questions such as 1+1=?,or eating mcdonalds chips all day long?

"is that the side-effect from hundreds of years of malnutrition?"——good questions. Most of multimillionaires who earn their money through their hard work do wear glasses. Most of idiots who can't do basic arithmetic even when they are high school students DO NOT wear glasses. By the way,all gorilla fed with good nutrition don't wear glasses. Which group you belong to?

Dong -- I am publishing your horrible screed only to show how utterly ridiculous you are. You assume (for some completely unknown reason) that Sergey is from the United States, when in fact, he is from Russia. So if we are going to continue on with your racist/ethnic stereotyping, are not Russians some of the greatest mathematicians in the world?

Gotta love that chinese nationalism. Russia's mathematics are so hot that they have an active manned space program with even less computing power than China. Supposedly there are huge volumes of math proofs that are locked up as "top secret" in Russia because they do such a good job of cutting out computers. The computer still gives a more accurate answer, but if you don't have access to big mainframes these formulas are the next best thing.

As for malnutrition, it is a big problem in China. Rice is low calorie and has poor mineral and vitamin content. There are superbreeds in the works, but what you get in the countryside is only super cheap.

David's answer could be correct, makes sense, but so does pollution and malnutrition. Farmers and laborers in China would be hulks like their western counterparts if they got a proper amount of meat protein and caloric intake.

Pollution may cause chronic degredation of the cornea of the eyes, as that pollution is in the form of nitric and sulfuric acids.

Here's a health problem that David might be aware of: severe hemorrhoid inflamation.
Thanks to pollution, chinese university students often have their hemorrhoids removed before graduation due to frequent irritation (and sometimes bleeding). Hemorrhoid inflamation can happen to younger people in the west, but a an office lifestyle and weight is the more likely culprit. These university students eat alot of veggies, some meat, alot of rice, drink tea as well as alot of walking and bike riding. Yet bleeing hemorrhoids is a problem for them more than us.

Well, Taiwan has the most serious problem with nearsighted with some 90% of college graduate, followed by Japan and Korea. China is still low comparing to those three neighbor. The numbers in all three Asian countries went up along with their economic growth. I doubt that's correlated to the malnutrition. In fact, with more and more people glued to their computer monitors, nearsighted vision problems have been raising in the US.

As for the nutrition of rice, benefit of meat and milk protein, I'd refer you to the large scale NIH (American one) nutrition study called "China Study" (http://www.thechinastudy.com/ ). The book is actually advocating to eat more like the peasants of China to avoid cancers, heart diseases, and diabetes. Strong links between animal protein and those diseases.

Severe hemorrhoid inflammation is more likely to be stress induced then pollution. There is a great book titled "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcer" (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Zebras-Dont-Get-Ulcers/dp/0716732106 ). Solid evidences have been linking stress to the hemorrhoid problems starting from constipation. I doubt that's unique in China. Walking in the street of Japan, it is hard to not to wonder it's a nation of constipation because the shear amount of advertising for medicine to address related problems. Same goes for Taiwan. Not sure about Korea but the same problems are common in developed countries. Hardly a problem related to pollution.

So, kids, listen to mommy. Eat your vegetables and go out and play. ;)

"The book is actually advocating to eat more like the peasants of China to avoid cancers, heart diseases, and diabetes. Strong links between animal protein and those diseases."

In the US its called "the caveman diet" where all processed foods are shunned including grain based carbs in favor of veggies, fruits and lean meats with a generous intake of selected oils. Processed foods and grain based carbs have enormous amounts of sugar and unsaturated fats, without sufficient activity the unsaturated fats collect in your veins and the sugar build-up leads to diabetes.

"Severe hemorrhoid inflammation is more likely to be stress induced then pollution. There is a great book titled "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcer""

Hemorrhoid inflamation and ulcers are two very problems even when bacteria or viruses are factored in. Highlighting the possible pollution factor is the fact that chinese university students consume alot of veggies and fruits with some meat (mostly from the cafeteria, since meat is pretty expensive for students). Plus students walk to most places or ride their bikes and many engage in activities like basketball, tennis and soccer on campus. Hemorrhoid problems have been traditionally focused on middle aged to older people as the body simply gets older and "dries up", so why are otherwise healty twenty somethings who get a fair amount of physical activity experiencing bleeding hemorrhoids?

Mr. Li --

I agree it is almost certainly not malnutrition. I cannot see Americans going to Lianyungang for laser eye surgery. I can see medical tourism to China (it's already happening with organ transplants) but not for something as small as this. Figuring $1800 in the US and $250 in China and then adding in the ticket and hotel bill and the savings is maybe $200. Not worth it unless you are going to China anyway.

Mr. Li/nanheyangrouchuan --

I proudly profess to knowing nothing about hemorrhoids in China or elsewhere.

Well, the medical tourism is the only one I can see why an American eye clinic to open ones one in Lianyungang. LASIK is such an easy operation these days, it may make sense to make it part of a tourist package. Fly in, have the surgery next morning, get some rest in the hotel for a day, and off you go to a vocation with better vision.

"Organ transplant tourism?" Hmm... as sexy as it may be for a Sci-Fi B movie title, I doubt it's a business easily promoted in scale as it's tightly regulated internationally side and I doubt ones could do a press release and a marketing campaign without rising a red flag. Even China to to open organ trading, no clinic in developed world will touch it with 100 feet chopstick. ;) I know there are stories on the topic but I doubt about the scalability as a business. Also, the recent survey on the subject, America actually has the best organ availability.

The real medical tourism has to be for more boring stuffs with boarder audience and preferably not covered by insurance.

Shanghai has a booming dental tourism targeting at foreigners. Cosmetic surgery clinics are hot investments but that's more for domestic market for now. Well, China may finally get its "Silicon" valley in Shanghai. ;)

Mr. Li --

You make a good point, re LASIK for medical tourists, but I just don't see it [pun Intended].

I do agree with your noting Chinese dentistry as an area ripe for medical tourism and I too have seen evidence of that happening already.