Due in part to an increase in screen time, the number of myopic youngsters in Hong Kong reached an all-time high during the Covid epidemic, according to a recent research.

A Chinese University research published on Wednesday indicated that the number of Hong Kong children aged 6-8 with myopia reached a record high during the Covid-19 outbreak as kids grew increasingly dependant on screens and remained inside.
University of Hong Kong associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences Jason Yam Cheuk-sing expressed concern that the pandemic-related tendencies of youngsters spending less time outside and more time using electronic items had persisted even after the city dropped its pandemic restrictions.

We are all relieved that the Covid pandemic is over, but the message we have to deliver today is that things are not back to the way they were before CoVD-19.
Myopia, or nearsightedness, was examined in a university research of 20,527 children aged 6-8 across three time periods spanning 2015-2021.

While 23.8% of youngsters were affected by the disease before to the pandemic (2015–2019), this figure increased to 36.2% during the temporary relaxation of limitations (March–December 2021).

Further analysis of the data revealed that the prevalence of myopia among six-year-olds approximately quadrupled between the two time periods, going from 13.9% to 25.2%.