ArticleBMJ open2023
Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related home confinement on the refractive error of school-aged children in Germany: a cross-sectional study based on data from 414 eye care professional centres.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Temporal trends in refractive error among children and adolescents in Germany - a large-scale analysis of spectacle sales data from dispensing opticians from 2001 to 2025.Frontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- Myopia and Metabolomics: A Comparative Study of Aqueous Humor and Serum Metabolites in Myopic Adults Undergoing Cataract Surgery.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Key strategies to reduce the global burden of myopia: consensus from the international myopia summit.The British journal of ophthalmology · 2025Review
- Trends in prevalence and disability-adjusted life years for refractive disorders in China and globally from 1990 to 2021: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Algorithmic and sensor-based research on Chinese children's and adolescents' screen use behavior and light environment.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed at evaluating refractive changes in German school-aged children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
designCross-sectional study.
setting414 eye care professional centres from Germany.
participantsRefractive data from 59 926 German children aged 6-15 years were examined over a 7-year period (2015-2021). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Spherical equivalent refraction was assessed as a function of year, age and gender. The refractive values concerning 2020 and 2021 were compared with those assigned to prior years (2015-2019).
resultsThe refractive data associated with 2020 and 2021 showed a myopic refractive shift of approximately -0.20D compared with the 2015-2019 range. The refractive change was statistically considerable in the 6 to 11-year range (p<0.05), while from 12 to 15 years was negligible (p≥0.10). Percentage of myopes was also impacted in 2021 (p=0.002), but not in 2020 (p=0.25). From 6 to 11 years, the percentage of myopes in 2021 increased significantly by 6.02% compared with the 2015-2019 range (p≤0.04). The highest percentage increase occurred at 8 and 10 years of age, showing a rise of 7.42% (p=0.002) and 6.62% (p=0.005), respectively. From 12 to 15 years, there was no significant increase in the percentage of myopes in 2021 (p≥0.09). Percentage of myopes in 2020 was not influenced at any age (p≥0.06).
conclusionDisruption of normal lifestyle due to pandemic-related home confinement appears to lead to a myopic refractive shift in children aged 6-11 years in Germany. The greater effect observed at younger ages seems to emphasise the importance of refractive development in this age group.
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