S'pore worries over myopic youth

S'pore worries over myopic youth

SINGAPORE (DPA): Singapore's growing number of myopic youngsters has become an issue of national security, as it means more soldiers hitting the field wearing glasses, reports said yesterday.

The Singapore Armed Forces must find ways to combat shortsightedness among young Singaporean men, said Colonel Lionel Lee, director of the Defense Medical Research Institute.

"There are specific jobs that become quite a problem for them," Lee said of the myopic soldiers in an interview with the Straits Times newspaper. A period of national service in the armed forces is mandatory for all young men in Singapore.

Singapore authorities have become concerned over recent statistics showing 75 percent of all Singaporeans to be myopic, compared with 25 percent in the United States.