A British charity called Blind Kids UK recently reported that a survey found a significant increase in the number of blind or partially sighted children in the UK in recent years, and that this was linked to an increase in the survival rate of premature babies. The experts called on parents and doctors to pay attention to the health of premature babies’ eyesight and detect the symptoms as early as possible. The organization issued a communiqué on the same day saying that they have comprehensively analyzed information from the NHS, the Office for National Statistics and other agencies, and surveyed 130 children with vision problems and their parents. The results show that the number of children registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK has increased by 9 percent since 2006, and this increasing trend is most pronounced among young children under the age of 5, with an increase of about 12 percent. The report suggests that this trend is related to the increased survival rate of premature babies. This is because the earlier the birth, the higher the risk of developing vision problems. It is estimated that over the past 10 years, there has been a 22% increase in the number of premature children born at less than 26 weeks of gestational age with vision problems in the UK. The survey also found that a large proportion of children’s vision problems go unrecognized by parents and doctors, with about a quarter of parents reporting that their children are not diagnosed and treated until more than a year after the onset of vision problems. The organization’s experts caution that parents and doctors must pay close attention to the vision health of young children, especially those born prematurely, and watch for conditions that may indicate vision problems, such as red, cloudy or excessively moist eyes, a tendency to rub the eyes or a lack of sensitivity to light.