COVID-19 lockdowns may have caused myopic shift in children
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Key takeaways:
- Researchers found a significant difference in mean spherical equivalent across most age groups before and after quarantine.
- There were no significant differences between genders.
Mandatory online schooling and confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated myopia in school-aged children in Puerto Rico, according to a review published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“Online learning increased students’ time on electronics indoors and reduced their time outside during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine,” study author Neisha M. Rodriguez, OD, PhD, MPH, associate professor at Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry, and colleagues wrote. “The previously mentioned factors are believed to increase a child’s risk of developing myopia.”
Seeking to compare refractive error in children before and after the pandemic, researchers conducted a retrospective record review of 801 children aged 7 to 18 years who underwent a comprehensive visual evaluation between 2018 and 2021 at the Inter American Eye Institute in Puerto Rico.
Children in the pre-confinement group were examined from Jan. 1, 2018, to March 15, 2020, and those in the post-confinement group were evaluated from Aug. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021.
Researchers reported a significant difference in mean spherical equivalent before and after lockdown (0.22 ± 0.59 D, P = .001), with the most significant reduction change in children aged 14 to 15 years. The lowest change was reported in those aged 7 to 8 years.
At baseline, 20.2% of children were myopic, which increased to 26% after quarantine. All age groups, except those aged 7 to 8 years, experienced a significant myopic shift, but researchers found no significant difference between genders.
“This study demonstrated increased myopic refractive error in children living in Puerto Rico after COVID-19 confinement,” Rodriguez and colleagues wrote. “As primary eye care providers, it is important to know that myopic children are more predisposed to myopic increases after the pandemic.”
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