Purpose: To study the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related lockdown on myopia progression of school-aged children, comparing across the years and within different age groups.
Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of school-aged children with myopia who presented to the pediatric ophthalmology clinic at the American University of Beirut between January 2020 and December 2021 (during COVID-19 lockdown). Annual myopia progression rate (back to January 2016) was computed by dividing the absolute value of the spherical equivalent (SE) difference of two consecutive visits by the duration (in years). Demographic data were retrieved. Patients were then divided into three age groups (3 to 10, 11 to 14, and 15 to 18 years) for analysis.
Results: A total of 443 charts of myopic school-aged children were reviewed. Their average age was 11.81 ± 3.67 years with an average of 3.85 ± 1.67 visits across the years. The mean myopic SE increased over time: SE in 2021 was significantly higher than the mean SE in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Mean SE in 2020 was significantly higher than that in 2016 and 2017. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean annual progression (in diopters/year). For the 3 to 10 years group, the annual SE progression tended to be highest for 2020-2021 and 2019-2020 compared to previous years.
Conclusions: Children had more myopia in 2021 and 2020 (during lockdown) compared to previous years. The myopia annual progression tended to be highest in 2020-2021, especially for the younger age group, but the difference was not statistically significant. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2023;60(5):353-358.].