Exploring myopia levels following the pandemic

Researchers have examined myopia levels in Hangzhou, China following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study, which was published in BMC Public Health, collected school vision screening data from children aged six to 13 at 45 schools in Hangzhou.

Researchers tracked the mean spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and prevalence of myopia and hyperopia between 2019 and 2023.

They found a rapid increase in myopia during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the prevalence of myopia in children gradually decreasing following the pandemic and then rebounding.

“During the five-year follow-up, the prevalence of myopia in all age groups peaked in 2020 or 2021,” the researchers shared.

The prevalence of myopia peaked in children aged six and eight in 2020. In all the other age groups included within the study, the myopia prevalence peaked in 2021.

However, in 2022 the prevalence of myopia decreased in all age groups. In 2023, there was a slight decrease in the prevalence of myopia in children aged six and seven, and a slight increase in the prevalence of myopia in children aged eight to 13.

The authors suggested that the myopic shift in children may be related to a reduction in outdoor time, less light and altered near work habits. However, they highlighted that further research is needed.