Refractive Errors Due To Online Classes Among School Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aim: The current study aimed to assess the effect of refractive errors among school children due to online classes.

Materials and Method: School-going children who were attending online classes between five and fifteen years were subjected to ophthalmic evaluation. A questionnaire including sections like demographics, gadget use, on-screen time, and physical complaints was administered to collect the required data.

Results: The participants in our study had a mean age of 9 ± 2 years (range 5-15 years) of whom 48.4% (n = 140) were males and 51.6% (n = 149) were females. There was a predominance of myopia (86.5%) in children where 44.6% of them have newly developed refractive errors. Around 70 (67.8%) children with a previous refractive error have been shown to have progression of refractive error.

Conclusion: Our study reports that children were exposed to prolonged screen time which led to a rise in the number of myopia cases.