Listen to Story The widespread occurrence of myopia has made it a public health concern, especially among researchers. While the escalation of its prevalence remains elusive, researchers of a recent study on myopia note that there's a link between increasing cases of myopia and the Covid-19 pandemic. Myopia or short-sightedness is an eye condition where a person cannot see objects far away clearly.
This vision can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. In their latest study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology , researchers from China's Sun Yat-Sen University and Henan Provincial People's Hospital, found that around one in three children and teenagers worldwide are short-sighted. Prompting calls to discourage screen time and increase physical activity, they stated that the Covid lockdowns had a negative impact on eyesight in children, who spent more time on screens and less time outdoors .
"Based on our trend analysis, it has been observed that there has been a significant rise in the occurrence of myopia among children and adolescents globally over the past 30 years, with the prevalence increasing from 24.32% to 35.81%.
This increase has been particularly notable after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic," the researchers wrote. Myopia or short-sightedness is an eye condition where a person cannot see objects far away clearly. (Photo: Getty Images) The study looked at research involving more than five million children and teenagers from 50 countries across.