Rapid progression of myopia at onset during home confinement.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the myopic shift at myopia onset was faster than usual during home confinement associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Data on refractive error in consecutive children who presented for their first myopic spectacle prescription from September 2020 to May 2021 (new-onset myopia during the pandemic) were collected. Inclusion criteria were age 5-18 years and cycloplegic spherical equivalent in both eyes in the emmetropic range in the pre-pandemic years as recorded 1 year and 2 years before the actual visit. Annualized mean myopic shifts over the two previous periods were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 39 subjects (59% girls) were enrolled. Mean age at the visit after confinement was 10.79 ± 2.83 years. The mean refractive error for the right eyes in 2018 was +0.29 ± 0.56 D. The year after (2019), these children had a mean spherical equivalent of -0.12 ± 0.70 D. At the enrollment visit after myopia onset in the pandemic period, they had myopia of -1.33 ± 0.73 D. The mean annualized myopic shift for the right eyes was -0.37 ± 0.43 D before the pandemic and -1.12 ± 0.70 D during the pandemic period that included home confinement (P < 0·001 [Wilcoxon text]).

CONCLUSIONS

Previous pre-pandemic prospective studies have reported myopic shift at onset of approximately -0.80 D. The period of strict pandemic home confinement saw higher rates of myopic shift.