The increase in the number of myopic children may be related to the increase in screen time and the decrease in time spent outdoors Coronavirus A study found that a pandemic.
A new study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology investigates the incidence of myopia in British children Hongkong Six to eight years old.
The analysis included two different groups of children, one group was recruited at the beginning of the pandemic, and the other group was a group that had participated in a separate study before the pandemic.
Scientists studied 1,793 children and found that among the children recruited at the beginning of the pandemic, the incidence of myopia was higher than those who had been examined before—19% vs. 13%.
They also found that the time spent watching the screen has increased dramatically, while the time spent playing outdoors has decreased.
The author writes: “Another shocking finding we reported is that during the Covid-19 pandemic, children’s lifestyles have undergone major changes. Outdoor time has been reduced by 68% and screen time has increased by 2.8 times.”
“There is evidence that when children are out of school, they have less physical activity and longer screen time. Among all the environmental risk factors studied, increasing outdoor time has been proven to have a protective effect on development. Myopia.”
The author from the Chinese University of Hong Kong concluded: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we found that the incidence of myopia among Hong Kong school children may increase.
“School-age children aged 6-8 also have a significant reduction in outdoor time, and close work hours have also increased significantly.
“Our findings warn eye care professionals, as well as policy makers, educators and parents, that we need to work together to prevent myopia in children, which is a potential public health crisis caused by Covid-19.”
Commenting on this research, Oliver Braddick, Professor Emeritus of Psychology Oxford university Said: “The Covid pandemic provides an interesting opportunity to check whether imposed changes in lifestyle have changed the vision development of elementary-age children.
“Unfortunately, this study cannot make the most direct comparison of the development of myopia before and during the Covid period, because the two groups have different follow-up intervals.
“However, there is other evidence from a study Sydney Outdoor activities during the day in 2013 have a protective effect on children’s myopia, which is consistent with the results of this study.
“It should be noted that this study was conducted in an urbanized East Asian population, where the level of myopia is generally higher than European ancestor. “
