Why confinement damages children’s eyes
DECRYPTION – In Feicheng City, China, the proportion of myopic children by age 6 tripled between February and May.
This is a relatively unexpected consequence of the health crisis due to the coronavirus. After four months of strict confinement from February to May 2020, the proportion of myopic children at 6 years old has more than tripled in the city of Feicheng, south of Beijing, reveals a Chinese study published in the medical journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
This effect seems to particularly affect young children. Beyond 9 years, researchers no longer observe any noticeable difference compared to previous years. To reach these conclusions, the researchers used measurements of myopia practiced for six years with more than 120,000 college students in the city. This surveillance is motivated by the sharp increase in the prevalence of myopia for several years in the country, it now exceeding 80% among urban young people aged 18.
Lack of natural light
How to explain that confinement had such an impact on the sight of children? “This study is very interesting because it confirms that the lack
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