article_snippet.sent: Around the world, we're becoming collectively more near-sighted.
article_snippet.sent: The rates of myopia have doubled, even tripled, in most of East Asia over the last 40 years, researchers say.
article_snippet.sent: In South Korea, myopia rates among 20-year-olds have leaped from 18% in 1955 to over 96% myopia in 2011.
article_snippet.sent: And it's a global issue -- rates of myopia are also rising in Western nations like Germany and the United States.
article_snippet.sent: It's about 40% in the United States, compared to about 25% in the 1970s," said Dr. Michael Chiang, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
article_snippet.sent: The epidemic of myopia amongst East Asians has triggered cultural questions about why so many young people develop vision problems.
article_snippet.sent: Despite these eye exercises, rates of myopia in China China have soared to nearly 90%, according to recent studies.
article_snippet.sent: China has among the highest rates of myopia
article_snippet.sent: In Singapore, 82% of 20-year-olds are myopic.
highlights_snippet.sent: East Asia sees soaring rates of myopia, with 80-90% of young adult population affected .
  