The increase in cases of myopia (myopia) in children in Hong Kong may be associated with a significant decrease in the amount of time they were able to spend outdoors and a sharp increase in screen time during a coronavirus pandemic. I have. NS British Journal of Offtalmology..
By September 2020, researchers said more than 180 countries had closed schools and universities, affecting 1 billion learners, or 80% of the world’s students, to control the coronavirus march. Says.
Children are particularly severely affected, outdoor activities are restricted or banned, and socializing is severely restricted. Hong Kong is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with most residents living in small, high-rise apartments with little outdoor space.
With an increase in close work Screening time Also, the reduction in time spent outdoors is associated with myopia, which causes changes in eye shape. Ray Accidentally bend (refract) the image by focusing it in front of the retina rather than on the surface of the retina.
Myopia Children Researchers say it’s important because they are at risk of developing complications that increase the risk of irreversible vision / blindness disorders in later years.
With forced action Lifestyle changes Researchers studied the eyes of 1793 children while the pandemic could have affected their children’s eyesight. All of them were part of the Hong Kong Children’s Ophthalmology Study (HKCES). This is an ongoing population-based study of eye conditions aged 6-8 years.
At the beginning of the pandemic (December 2019-January 2020), approximately 709 children were recruited for the study and monitored for approximately 8 months. Before the pandemic began, 1084 children participated in the study and were monitored for about three years.
We measured children’s eyesight (ability to see clearly) and filled out lifestyle questionnaires such as working outdoors and nearby, participating in studies, and subsequent visits to the clinic.
About one in five children (19.5%) in the COVID-19 group developed myopia between January and August 2020. 3 years.
There were also a large number of new cases of myopia among the children in the COVID-19 group, taking into account age, gender, length of monitoring period, parental myopia, and time spent outdoors and myopia.
The estimated 1-year incidence of myopia was 28%, 27%, and 26% in the COVID-19 group at ages 6, 7, and 8, respectively, compared with 17%, 16%, and 15%. For groups 6, 7, and 8 years in groups prior to COVID-19, respectively.
These changes were consistent with the reduction in children’s time spent outdoors from about 1 hour 15 minutes to about 24 minutes / day and the increase in screen time from about 2.5 hours / day to about 7 hours / day.
The researchers also compared the current COVID-19 group with the results of a previous study examining the development of myopia in children of the same age in Hong Kong.
In a previous study, 13% of children developed this condition in one year. This is a short period of 8 months, compared to 19.5% of the COVID-19 group in the current study, further weighting the association between pandemics and increased risk of myopia, researchers said. Suggest.
Since this is an observational study, the cause cannot be determined. In addition, the survey includes survey data that relies on recalls.
The findings also warn researchers that they may not reflect the impact of COVID-19 in other parts of the world where social distance, quarantine, and school closure policies may differ. increase.
Nevertheless, they write: “Despite the limitations of these insurmountable studies, our first results show a surprising progression of myopia that justifies appropriate corrective action.”
And they conclude that:[They] To ophthalmologists, as well as policy makers, educators and parents, that collective efforts are needed to prevent childhood myopia, a potential public health crisis resulting from COVID-19. Useful for warning. ”
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