Tag Archives: myopia

Why do so many Asian kids wear glasses? And why are we always nearsighted, rather than farsighted?

There are two typical explanations that people generally accept.  First, that it’s genetic and tied to Asian genes.  Second, that Asian parents make Asian kids read so much that they mess up their eyesight.  The genetic explanation is widespread in the Asian American community; I know at least one person who wanted to marry out as a way of helping her kids’ eyesight.  The “too much reading explanation” is also widespread: I remember WAY back when in the early blogosphere–before PUA and LASIK surgery were widespread–one Asian American male website even went as far as to recommend that Asian men, in order to boost their success with the ladies, read books “only when necessary!”