A study found delayed increases in refractive and corneal astigmatism among Hong Kong schoolchildren after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
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Refractive astigmatism prevalence rose from 25% in 2020 to 35% in 2022-2023, while corneal astigmatism prevalence increased from 59% to 65% during the same period.
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The pandemic period was associated with increased odds of refractive and corneal astigmatism, with adjusted increases of 0.04 and 0.05 diopters, respectively.
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Prolonged digital device use and decreased outdoor time during the pandemic may have contributed to the observed corneal shape changes in children.
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The study's limitations include a lack of generalizability due to the homogenous participant population and potential recall bias in parental astigmatism reporting.
