Increased short-sightedness in younger children associated with home schooling and confinement

Study question Objectives: To assess the refractive error of school age children following home confinement owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare findings with preceding years. Setting: Ten elementary schools in Shandong, Feicheng, China, from 2015 to 2020. Patients: 123 535 children aged 6–13 years were assessed annually with an automated-refraction device. Intervention During 4 months of home isolation preceding the 2020 assessment, children in grades 1 and 2 (age 6–8 years) were taught online for 1 hour/day, whereas those in grades 3–6 (age 8–13 years) were taught for 2.5 hours/day. Outdoor activity was severely restricted, often to none. A Spot Vision Screener, an automated assessment of refractive error, was held at 1 m from the patient in the pre-COVID-19 era. In the COVID-19 era (2020), there were three method changes. First, screeners stood at 1.8 m and extended their arms forward to the required 1 m testing distance. Second, masks were...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Education and Practice - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Picket, COVID-19 Key publications in paediatrics: Picket Source Type: research