Relationship Between Poor Visual Acuity and Lifestyle: A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Study of Japanese Students Using Secondary Data.

Background The incidence of myopia-related vision loss among Japanese children is increasing, indicating that efforts to prevent this vision loss remain insufficient. School-aged Japanese children are thought to be more prone to myopia due to physical and lifestyle changes during their growth stages. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between changes in visual acuity (VA) from fourth-grade elementary school to junior high school and students' lifestyle habits and to examine efforts to maintain visual acuity among elementary and junior high school students in Japan. Methods The participants of the analysis included 49 Japanese junior high school students. Secondary data used in the study were the results of vision tests and lifestyle questionnaires administered at the students' elementary and junior high schools. A longitudinal analysis was performed by comparing visual acuity and lifestyle conditions at two time points: fourth grade of elementary school and junior high school. Furthermore, the relationship between changes in visual acuity from elementary to junior high school and lifestyle habits in junior high school was examined. Results Poor visual acuity in junior high school was significantly associated with poor visual acuity in the fourth grade (p=0.003). Students with poor vision (PV) had a significantly higher percentage of the following characteristics compared to those without poor vision: studying for more than two hours per day on their days off (p=0.043), spending less than one hour per day on the computer on weekdays (p=0.020), perceiving insufficient sleep duration (p=0.018), and not paying attention to taking breaks while studying or watching TV (p=0.038). Conclusion This study indicated that poor vision in school-aged children may progressively worsen without improvement. The poor vision group spent more time studying on weekends and less time on the computer during the week, reported insufficient sleep time, and neglected taking breaks while studying or watching TV. As students grow, they tend to spend more time studying and changing their living environment to one that demands the overuse of their eyes, increasing strain on them. It is necessary to teach students to prevent poor vision starting at school age while their eyesight is still good.