MYOPIA in an increasing number of school children is one of the consequences of prolonged online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, opticians said.

This, they said, is reflected in a higher volume of school children coming to them for glasses during the past 12 months.

They told The Malaysian Insight that some of them have seen 90% more children than usual in the past 18 months.

Myopia is a common condition in which you can see objects near to you clearly, but objects further away are blurry.

It occurs when the shape of your eye causes light rays to bend (refract) incorrectly, focusing images in front of your retina instead of on your retina.

Legend Optical owner Chan Yin Yen said many students come to get a change of lenses because their eyesight has worsened since schools closed last year and classes moved online.

Some children have begun wearing glasses for the first time during this pandemic, after short-sightedness was detected. Children as young as seven are being diagnosed with myopia, Chan said.

“Their short-sightedness was detected when school reopened briefly for physical classes. They realised they could not see the words on the whiteboard,” Chan said, adding that her shop has seen a 30% increase in student customers since mid-2020.

Chan said myopia is often detected from the age of seven, because it is not so easily detectable in younger children.

Parents tend to discover their children’s short-sightedness after their teacher complains the children have been taking notes wrongly.

“If the child is found to have myopia of more than 300 degrees by age seven, it means the child had myopia much younger, because it is impossible to develop myopia to this extent all of a sudden,” Chan said.

Myopia in children also worsens quicker than it does in adults, and many children today are at risk of developing the condition at an early age because more of their activities are online and on a screen.

If it is not online classes, then it is games on a mobile phone or iPad during their free time.

“The best thing to do is to have your children’s eyes checked once a year, whether they are wearing glasses or not, to assess if they are developing short-sightedness,” Chan said.

Optics 81 Bandar Menjalara owner KK Chua also said he has been seeing 90% more students than usual among his customers in the past year.

“The best way to avoid worsening myopia is to start with lifestyle habits.

“For example, control the amount of time spent on computers and mobile phones. Four hours of screen time without rest can easily lead to more eye diseases.

“Some parents refuse to let their children play with mobile phones from Monday to Friday but let them indulge on weekends,” he said.

Chan added that parents must also teach their children about “eye-rest time” and ensure a proper sitting posture when using a screen.

Dr David Woo, an ophthalmologist from International Specialist Eye Centre, said another factor for eye strain and increasing vision problems during the pandemic is that people have spent less time doing outdoor activities.

“Two studies, in January and June, in China and Hong Kong respectively, showed that the number of children suffering from myopia at the ages of six to eight, have increased significantly,” Woo said.

Woo encouraged parents to remind their child to rest their eyes after looking at a screen for more than 30 minutes.

“Next, keep the viewing distance of the computer screen at least 50cm from their face and adjust the brightness of the device.

“Don’t allow your children to lie on the sofa and bed to study, because then we tend to bring the screen closer to our faces,” he said.

While it is understandable that greater use of electronic and mobile devices is unavoidable for online learning during the pandemic, Woo said parents should still watch their children’s “cumulative use time”.

“Try to limit it to not more than an hour outside the scope of online learning time, especially for children under the age of six, who should be encouraged to avoid using electronic products.

“Go for outdoor activities after the pandemic to help our eyes relax,” Woo said.

He urged parents to take these tips seriously, as myopia in young children can worsen as the child grows until it stabilises at the age of 18.

“If a child suffers from a high degree of myopia, he or she may suffer from serious eye diseases in the long term. For example, a higher risk of retinal detachment and tear, as well as glaucoma,” Woo warned. – September 22, 2021.