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The Changes in Visual Acuity Values of Japanese School Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shingo Noi1, Akiko Shikano1, Natsuko Imai2
1Research Institute for Health and Sport Science, Nippon Sport Science University, Tokyo 158-8508, Japan.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted Japanese children's visual acuity (VA) and eye laterality. Lifestyle changes during this period may be responsible for these observed declines in vision.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant lifestyle changes globally.
- Concerns exist regarding the potential impact of these changes on children's vision.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the changes in visual acuity (VA) among Japanese children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To analyze the relationship between the pandemic period and alterations in VA and eye laterality.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of visual acuity data from 5893 Japanese elementary and junior high school students.
- Data collected from school health check-ups in 2019 and 2020 across four prefectures.
- Statistical analysis including regression coefficients to assess changes in VA and eye laterality over the survey years.
Main Results:
- A significant decline in visual acuity was observed in both elementary and junior high school students between 2019 and 2020.
- Specific VA categories (B, C, and D) showed significant regression coefficients, indicating worsening vision.
- A significant association was found between the survey year and altered eye laterality in both age groups.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lifestyle shifts appear to have adversely affected visual acuity and eye laterality in Japanese children.
- Further research is warranted to understand the long-term ophthalmic consequences and to develop interventions.
Abstract:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may result in a greater decrease in visual acuity (VA) among Japanese children. Our study aimed to examine Japanese children’s VA during the pandemic. VA data were collected using standard eye tests during school health check-ups conducted in 2019 and 2020 on 5893 children, in seven public elementary schools and four public junior high schools in Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka. VA changes were statistically analyzed. The relationship between the survey year and poor VA yielded a significant regression coefficient for the surveyed years in elementary and junior high school students. The 2019 VA value and VA change from 2019 to 2020 demonstrated a significant regression coefficient in elementary school students with VAs of “B (0.7−0.9)” and “C (0.3−0.6)”, and junior high school students with VAs of “B”, “C”, and “D (<0.3)”. An analysis of the relationship between the survey year and eye laterality of VA yielded a significant regression coefficient in the surveyed years for elementary (OR, 1.516; 95% CI, 1.265−1.818) and junior high school students (OR, 1.423; 95% CI, 1.136−1.782). Lifestyle changes during the COVID-19 pandemic might have affected VA and eye laterality in Japanese children.
