Screen Time and Myopia During COVID-19

Article: The Pandemic Made Kids’ Eyesight Worse, Doctors Say
Source: Wall Street Journal, via AAO
Published: June 1, 2021

An article in the Wall Street Journal  summarizes key points about the link between myopia and increased screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by several ophthalmologists. One theory suggests that when children engage in prolonged near work, such as on screens or reading books, the eye becomes used to near focus, which may cause lengthening of the eyeball, leading to myopia. Less time spent outdoors also contributes to the growing rates of myopia, as time spent outdoors often accompanies looking farther away (rather than near). Finally, the natural lighting of outdoor environments could also play a role in preventing myopia. The article touches upon an often cited study published in JAMA Ophthalmology  reporting overall increased rates of myopia among more than 120,000 homebound children in China. Doctors in the U.S. are seeing similar trends in their clinics, including trends toward high myopia (that is, myopia greater than six diopters), which puts these kids at increased risk of vision-threatening eye problems such as myopic degeneration and retinal detachment later in life. Alongside myopia, doctors also report more cases of digital eye strain during the pandemic, with symptoms including blurry vision, headaches and eye fatigue. One of the ophthalmologists interviewed has conducted a small survey during the first five months of this year among 110 children, ages 10 to 17, who had virtual schooling ranging from 3 to 10 hours. The data is preliminary and yet to be published, though the article reports that symptoms found include "eye aches, headaches, words moving around a page, blurry and double vision, and losing their place when they read, tearing and burning, rubbing eyes more often, dryness, and the sensation of a foreign body in the eye." Lastly, the pandemic has caused more complaints of dry eyes, especially among adults and associated with mask-wearing and reduced blink rate from screen use.

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