Prevalence Trend of Myopia during the Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Period among Preschoolers: A Prospective School-based Study.

Abstract

Changes in behavior and lifestyle during the post-COVID-19 epidemic may have some impact on myopia rates in preschoolers, and exploring the changes in myopia rates in preschool children may inform the formulation of myopia prevention and control policies. To investigate the prevalence of myopia in preschool children during the post-COVID-19 epidemic period in Xuzhou, China. A series of cross-sectional school-based studies was conducted. A total of 117,632 preschool children aged 3 to 6 years were subjected to annual vision screening from 2019 to 2021. Spot photo screening was used to record the spherical equivalent refraction for each child and to analyze the prevalence of myopia by age, sex, and region during the post-COVID-19 epidemic period. A total of 113,979 preschool children were included in the analysis, of whom 60784 (53.3%) were males and 53195 (46.7%) were females. For all children, the mean spherical equivalent refraction in 2019, 2020 and 2021 was +0.32 ± 0.50 D, +0.34 ± 0.55 D, and + 0.34 ± 0.54 D, respectively (all P < .05), indicative of a very slight hyperopic shift. In all age groups, the change in mean spherical equivalent refraction and its distribution were relatively stable. From 2019 to 2021, the overall prevalence of myopia in preschool children was 3.1%, 3.3%, and 3.5%, respectively. The rise in myopia rates was minimal. The largest increase in the annual prevalence of myopia was seen among children aged 6, at 0.5%, followed by those aged 5 (0.4%) and aged 3 (0.4%). The prevalence was higher in males than females, and in urban versus rural areas. During the post-COVID-19 epidemic period, the refractive status of Xuzhou preschool children remained stable.