Reporter's log: I wish I'd kept an eye on the future

As someone who started wearing corrective lenses of-5 diopters (a relatively high degree of nearsightedness) when I was about 13, I often tell friends that if I were given a chance to relive my adolescence, I would spare no effort to take care of my eyesight and avoid nearsightedness.

I developed the problem when I was a junior middle school student, who believed in "study hard and play harder",(which for me only meant watching TV programs at the time). As a result, I have been wearing spectacles ever since.

Initially, I didn't pay much attention to the problem because it didn't bring me any apparent trouble. However, as I got older and tried to acquire different life experiences, I started to realize how inconvenient it could be.

For example, when I learned to swim I had to wear goggles made especially for nearsighted people. When I watched a 3D film, I had to wear two pairs of glasses - one for myopia and the other for the special effect.

Moreover, I found myopia was the greatest enemy when I tried to make myself prettier. Some might say wearing glasses makes a person look wise and knowledgeable, but I'm the kind of person who looks better without glasses - at least in my eyes and those of my parents and friends.

I tried contact lenses as an alternative that could seemingly exempt me from the disadvantages of wearing glasses, but new problems arose.

Contact lenses are fragile and need to be washed every day, which means I always had to carry a spare pair in case of emergency, as well as special cleansing fluid to ensure the lenses could be washed whenever necessary.

On countless occasions, forgetting to take spare lenses or the fluid during business trips forced me to look for pharmacies at night in cities I was unfamiliar with. Not to mention that wearing contact lenses improperly can also cause discomfort or even diseases.

It seems that I'm left with one last option: having myopia-correction surgery. But the high price - about 20,000 yuan ($3,000) in Beijing - and the possible risks and unknown side effects have prevented me from making a final decision.

After so many twists and turns, I put on my glasses again. After all, it's the safest thing to do.

Meanwhile, I have volunteered to help young students understand the importance of protecting their eyesight.

As I often tell my two nieces: take good care of your eyesight because good vision will bring lots of benefits - gorgeous looks, health and safety. And it will save money!