Why are Japanese wearing eyeglasses?

Question

I've seen in a show that Japan is the world's most population to wear eyeglasses. Is it true & why?

Answer 1

Hahahaha Squinting eyes. Hahahaha

Answer 2

I agree with the people who said it's just because the Japanese people - and other Asians - don't feel ashamed or humiliated when wearing glasses!

I spent most of my childhood being tormented for having 'four-eyes' - imagine how much happier my childhood could have been if British people weren't so hostile to spec-wearers!! Many people I personally know in the UK refuse to wear glasses even though they NEED them! When I first started wearing contact lenses, I threw away my old glasses, and swore I'd never be humiliated by them again!!!

Now, I live in Japan, and I do what I suspect a lot of other people do ... I wear glasses for normal life, and contacts when going somewhere special - or where photos might be taken of me...!!
; )

And considering the fact that the Japanese working day is notoriously long, wearing contacts all day would be very unhealthy.

I wouldn't know - or be able to prove - whether or not Japanese people actually have a higher risk of poor eyesight ... but I suspect it's just that they're not ashamed of it. As I say, I've known people who refused to wear glasses for the 'shame' of it - one of them even refused to pick-up his specs from the opticians, and when I last saw him they'd been waiting there for over a decade - he just hadn't been back to collect them, OR have another sight test! Pathetic!

Answer 3

This is an intriguing question - i'd like to know too... why more overseas Chinese people wear glasses as opposed to the Malays or Indians. (i've noticed that this problem is really noticeable only in overseas Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaysia and not so in mainland China).

I am pretty sure it has something to do with diet. Don't quote me but I suspect it is the MSG in food (including processed) which are also common feature in the food industry in Japan. But what do I know?

Answer 4

Lack of blueberries in thier diet?
I dunno.

But in Japan as opposed to in the US (from experience) glasses are not considered as something that is "uncool".
Or at least not as bad as in the US.

I grew up in the US and as a child the common knowledge is Glasses = 4 eyes = nerd. You get teased wearing glasses and you are automatically categorized as nerdy or geeky.
So many people (myself included) wore contacts so I didn't have to wear glasses and look geeky at school.

In Japan however this concept exist somewhat but not as strongly as in the US. Also Japanese teens do not categorize themselves in groups as much as they do in the US. (ie: head bangers, goths, the jocks, the gangsters, the nerds, the skaters etc) So people who need glasses don't find it necessary to use contacts instead of glasses to look "cool". So as a kid they get used to wearing glasses and as they grow older they continue wearing them. So more people wear glasses.

That's my theory. Many people in Japan may WEAR glasses but that doesn't necessarily mean Japan has the worst eye sight. Could be that they just don't care about wearing glasses.

Also contacts used to be alot pricier in Japan than in the US a few years back. Now I don't think there's a big difference.

Either way, I think LASIK is the key.

Answer 5

I don't think so. many people wear contact lens though.
But glass is a part of fashion.
and many girls have sunglasses as well. They don't wear, just putting it on their hair.

Also a hairband was big hit this year.

About the sunglasses, it is said the sensitivity of eyes between Asian and Caucasian are different. Think about the baseball players and American football players. White players put black marks on their cheek, but Asians does seldom. They don't feel the light strong.

Answer 6

They wear eyeglasses just like we do. What I didn't see there a lot are sunglasses. I fell very odd wearing them because nobody else had them.

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

Maybe the computer screens and lack of office space are adding up. In a small cube all day with your face 4 inches away for a monitor and that killer work ethic. All a bad mix for the eyes.
Or just a genetic issue

Answer 9

eatmyworld is on to something IMO. Japanese aren't too proud to wear glasses, so they do. The reason they don't wear sunglasses is because they are associated with gangsters.

Answer 10

i have no idea.. but in my family, four out of six children are wearing glasses and it is NOT genetically inherited, because my parents especially my dad has good eye sight. and mostly my friends are suffering from short-sighted.. the younger generation tends to have a higher chance in wearing glasses.. weird ey?

Answer 11

LOL trust me i have also seen this many times asians wearing them too maybe because the asian are the most cleverst people on the world ;)