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Hong Kong's eye-opening weight loss trend
Followers of sun-staring fad diet followers blind to risks of retinal damage
27 April 2016
A new fad diet popular in Hong Kong is more likely to cause a loss of vision than kilos, the AOP advises.
The Association has issued a warning in anticipation of the behaviour catching on in the UK. The weight-loss seekers have made international headlines, including recently in the Daily Express, for standing on a Hong Kong beach twice a day looking directly at the sun.
It is reported that people believe the energy of the sun can act as a calorie-free substitution for food, reducing a person’s appetite accordingly.
Many of the women wear pinhole glasses during their sun-staring sessions. One adherent told the Oriental Daily that people started out by looking at the sun for 10 seconds, adding 10 more each day until they could look for 44 minutes.
AOP professional adviser, Geoff Roberson, has highlighted that this behaviour risked irreversible retinal damage. He told OT: “People should never look directly at the sun or use any instruments to view the sun directly. Doing so can permanently damage your eyesight.
“It’s important for the public not to lose sight of their eyes – one of the most delicate organs in our body. We would encourage anyone who has looked directly at any form of bright light, particularly sunlight, and who has lasting after effects, to go to their local optometrist to have things checked out,” he emphasised.
Image credit: Oriental Daily
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