Myopia in Children on the Rise Post-Pandemic

Nearsightedness or myopia occurs when objects look blurred at a distance. The British Journal of Ophthalmology recently published a report that found a significant increase in myopia among children and teens since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

“Emerging evidence suggests a potential association between the pandemic and accelerated vision deterioration among young adults,” states the report. The researchers carried out 276 studies across 50 countries with a total of 5,410,945 participants. Instances of nearsightedness in children and teens has tripled in the past three decades, which one could assume is the result of an increase in screen time as children stare at tablets, phones, and computers for hours on end.

Yet, there was a significant increase in cases of myopia after the pandemic. “Myopia has increased dramatically during the period of COVID,” said Lisa Christian, associate director of clinical practice at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. “When we’re indoors, we’re focused on near work most of the time, we’re looking at one spot. When we’re outside, we’re looking far away, so we’re relaxing our eyes.”

The University of Waterloo confirmed these findings in a 2018 study that found that one hour of outdoor time could reduce a child’s chances of developing myopia by 14%. “Time spent outdoors was the only child activity to have a significant impact on myopia,” the study stated. Studies in Germany and Australia found similar results.

Developing eye problems at a young age poses a great health risk in the long-term. “As your prescription gets bigger and bigger, you are at risk in your lifetime of other health issues related to the eye,” a pediatrician and ophthalmologist from Calgary stated. Those with a prescription of -6.00 or higher are at an increased risk of developing retinal tears, glaucoma, and cataracts. To the extreme, these issues can lead to vision loss.

The British Journal of Ophthalmology stated that nearsightedness will affect over half of children worldwide by 2050. This is an important study to pin as an additional repercussion of COVID lockdowns. Children were prevented from going outside or living anything that resembled a normal life. Those repercussions did not end with the lockdowns. And yet, no one has been held accountable for the crimes against humanity that changed the world.