Study: children’s eyesight worsened in Covid-19 lockdown

Young students who recently endured a year of pandemic lockdowns may have suffered deteriorating eyesight, according to a study published on Thursday (Sept 16).

The study, conducted by the Sun Yat-sen University School of Public Health, was based on data from annual eye exams given to more than 2,000 students in a dozen primary schools in Guangzhou, China, from 2018 to last year.

About 13 per cent of second-grade students who had eye exams in 2018 developed nearsightedness by 2019, according to the study. By comparison, more than 20 per cent of those who had eye exams in 2019 became nearsighted by last year, a statistically significant difference. Initial tests of both groups showed that about 7 per cent of the students were nearsighted.

The effects on the eyesight of students ages nine and older appeared to be negligible, the researchers said. The findings suggested that younger children were more susceptible to environmental effects on their vision.

The study did not explore the hours children spent in front of computer screens as part of remote learning, or the time spent reading books – avid young readers may develop nearsightedness as well – so it is not possible to draw conclusions about the effects of screen time on their eyesight.

Source: Agencies