Investigation on myopia and related factors among high school students in Hefei during COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To investigate the relationship between multiple factors and myopia development among high school students with intense learning and eye use during covid-19 outbreak in Hefei, a first-tier city in China.​ Methods: The degree of myopia and related factors of 6000 senior high school students in 130 classes from different schools in Hefei city, Anhui province were analyzed by overall sampling combined with questionnaire survey and field inspection. Results: The age group of the students was mainly 17-19 years old, of which 50% were 18 years old and 34.6% were 17 years old. Boys accounted for 55%, girls accounted for 45%; ​myopia accounted for 85.3%; ​the average myopia of the students was (right eye: 3.38± 2.17D, left eye: 3.04± 2.21D). The ratio of myopia in female students was 88.9% higher than that in male students (χ²=46.434, p <​ 0.01). There was significant difference in the incidence of myopia among students with different outdoor exercise time (χ²=110.5, p <​ 0.01). The incidence of myopia greater than 1 h/day was only 29%. The incidence of myopia in children of two nearsighted parents was higher than that of non-nearsighted parents (χ²=84.69, p <​ 0.01). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a high myopia rate was found among high school students in Hefei, China. Girls have a higher rate of myopia than boys, and students whose parents have myopia are at greater risk of developing myopia. In addition, >​ 1 hour of outdoor activities can effectively reduce the incidence of myopia, and parents' understanding and implementation of myopia prevention and control can significantly affect the degree of myopia in children.