Issue 6/2024
Marinova, S., Manolova, Y.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical University – Varna
Myopia is a global health problem, the incidence of which is constantly increasing. In addition to health consequences for society, myopia also brings problems of socio-economic nature. Numerous scientific studies from different parts of the world prove the connection between the occurrence and progression of childhood myopia and restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the main purposes of the current study is to find if there is a relationship between the change in lifestyle, imposed by the anti-epidemic measures against Covid-19 and the development of myopia among children on the territory of the city of Shumen. For this purpose, frequency of myopia in the pediatric population was tracked before (2019), during (2020-2021) and after (2022) the coronavirus pandemic.
Data was extracted from a total of 2579 primary ophthalmological examinations of children aged 0 to 17 years, for the period 2019-2022. The examinations were carried out by 6 ophthalmologists working in the city of Shumen. Among the studied population, a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of myopia was found, as this refractive error increased by 3.33% (p≤0.05) from the beginning (23.66%) to the end of the study period (26.99%). The results of the conducted study confirm the significant contribution of the Covid-19 pandemic to the deepening of the global myopic crisis.
Key words: myopia, children`s eye health, Covid-19 pandemic, anti-epidemic measures
Address for correspondence:
Dr. Slavyana Dimitrova Malcheva-Marinova
MCOB Dr. Marinovi OOD – Shumen
108, Tsar Osvoboditel St., Shumen
e-mail: slmarinova@abv.bg
phone: 0897 930 996