The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on myopia prevalence in 5 year old Israeli children

To determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions among 5-year-old kindergarten children in Israel affected the prevalence of uncorrected myopia. A nationwide community-based study assessed and compared the prevalence of uncorrected myopia in 101,626 kindergarten children, aged 5 years, from 2013 to 2023. The photo-screening was conducted annually across Israeli kindergartens, utilizing PlusOptiX S12, to obtain refractive data. Among the 101,626 kindergarten children, the prevalence of uncorrected myopia increased approximately three-fold following COVID-19 confinement, rising from 3.7 to 12.6%. For over a decade, linear regression analyses consistently indicated that annual myopia odds increased by 1.2 (95% CI 1.19-1.22). In comparing the uncorrected myopia prevalence in the years before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019 versus 2023), the risk of myopia in 2023 was 2.72 times higher (Prevalence Odds Ratio; 95% CI 2.47-2.99). The highest prevalence of uncorrected myopia was in 2023 (12.6%), of which 7.84% were mild myopia, 4.61% moderate myopia, and 0.14% severe myopia. The mean spherical equivalent declined from 0.58 D pre-pandemic to 0.26 D in 2023. This research identified an increase in uncorrected myopia prevalence after the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially driven by altered environmental factors and behavioral habits.