indirect effects of covid-19 pandemic on children’s ocular health (myopia and digital eye strain): a narrative review

Background: the outbreak of covid-19 has significantly affected people’s lives worldwide.governments have used various measures to contain the spread of the pandemic,including confinement policies that have changed children’s lifestyles. children had to limittheir outdoor activities and daily routine to indoor activities. alternative learning systems,such as online and offline teaching via digital devices have replaced traditional teachingmethods. therefore, children have to spend many hours in front of digital devices. as anatural side effect of the pandemic, these changes may influence children’s ocular healthwho may not be able to complain about these problems as early as adults.objectives: this study reviews the literature regarding the effects of the covid-19pandemic on children’s eye health, including myopia and digital eye strain.methods: for this narrative review, a comprehensive literature search was performedon december 30, 2021, in google scholar, pubmed, and scopus using the following keywords:“covid-19,” “lockdowns,” “children,” “ocular health,” “eye health,” “visual health,” “ocularcomplications,” “myopia,” “ myopia progression,” “digital eye strain,” “computer vision syndrome,”“quarantine,” and “prevention.” a total of 22 eligible studies were identified for review.results: studies performed during the covid-19 pandemic have shown an increase inmyopia prevalence, incidence, and progression in children, especially among young children.strategies imposed by governments to control the spread of covid-19 during confinementhave led to dramatic changes in children’s lifestyles. these measures have compelled childrento restrict outdoor activities and increase their near-work time (e.g., online e-learning),which contributes to the increase in digital eye strain and myopia progression.conclusions: children’s eye health can be influenced by the covid-19 outbreak. thesecan serve as a warning to policymakers, health professionals, teachers, parents, andchildren about the effects of pandemics, such as covid-19, on children’s visual health andthe need to implement preventive and therapeutic measures.