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Study question
Objectives: To assess the refractive error of school age children following home confinement owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare findings with preceding years.
Setting: Ten elementary schools in Shandong, Feicheng, China, from 2015 to 2020.
Patients: 123 535 children aged 6–13 years were assessed annually with an automated-refraction device.
Intervention
During 4 months of home isolation preceding the 2020 assessment, children in grades 1 and 2 (age 6–8 years) were taught online for 1 hour/day, whereas those in grades 3–6 (age 8–13 years) were taught for 2.5 hours/day. Outdoor activity was severely restricted, often to none.
A Spot Vision Screener, an automated assessment of refractive error, was held at 1 m from the patient in the pre-COVID-19 era. In the COVID-19 era (2020), there were three method changes. First, screeners stood at 1.8 m and extended their arms forward to the required 1 m testing distance. Second, masks were worn by the screeners and children. Third, students had their autorefraction in May 2020 rather than September, following easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
The assessment of refractive error in May 2020 was compared with data from September in each of the years 2015–2019, inclusive.
Outcomes
Results for the 6 years, 2015–2020, inclusive, …
Footnotes
Review of article Wang J, Li Y, Musch DC et al. Progression of Myopia in School-Aged Children After COVID-19 Home Confinement. JAMA Ophthalmol [Internet]. 2021 Jan 14 [cited 18 Feb 2021]; Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.6239
Contributors IJ wrote and revised the manuscript. IDW developed the idea and critically reviewed the manuscript. JA has overseen the work with structure and revisions.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.