Abstract
ObjectiveThis study aimed at evaluating refractive changes in German school-aged children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignCross-sectional study.Setting414 eye care professional centres from Germany.ParticipantsRefractive data from 59 926 German children aged 6–15 years were examined over a 7-year period (2015–2021).Primary and secondary outcome measuresSpherical equivalent refraction was assessed as a function of year, age and gender. The refractive values concerning 2020 and 2021 were compared with those assigned to prior years (2015–2019).ResultsThe refractive data associated with 2020 and 2021 showed a myopic refractive shift of approximately −0.20D compared with the 2015–2019 range. The refractive change was statistically considerable in the 6 to 11-year range (p<0.05), while from 12 to 15 years was negligible (p≥0.10). Percentage of myopes was also impacted in 2021 (p=0.002), but not in 2020 (p=0.25). From 6 to 11 years, the percentage of myopes in 2021 increased significantly by 6.02% compared with the 2015–2019 range (p≤0.04). The highest percentage increase occurred at 8 and 10 years of age, showing a rise of 7.42% (p=0.002) and 6.62% (p=0.005), respectively. From 12 to 15 years, there was no significant increase in the percentage of myopes in 2021 (p≥0.09). Percentage of myopes in 2020 was not influenced at any age (p≥0.06).ConclusionDisruption of normal lifestyle due to pandemic-related home confinement appears to lead to a myopic refractive shift in children aged 6–11 years in Germany. The greater effect observed at younger ages seems to emphasise the importance of refractive development in this age group.
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献