Behavioral Measures in Myopic and Non-myopic High Schoolers During the COVID Pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how the visual activity of highschool students in Houston changed due to quarantine and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether these behaviors were different between myopes and non-myopes. Methods: Thirty-one participants (16.3±0.8 years, 8 females), including 12 myopes and 8 non-myopes, wore a Clouclip and Actiwatch for a week. The Clouclip records working distance and the Actiwatch measures light exposure, physical activity, and sleep duration. A questionnaire was also completed regarding demographics, ocular history, and visual behaviors. Results: Data showed that myopic participants engaged in near work (working distances of 10 to <60 cm) for 8.4±2.6 hours on a week day and 6.5±2.1 hours on a weekend day. Non-myopic participants engaged in near work for 6.1±2.7 hours on a week day and 4.5±1.9 hours on a weekend day. While weekend near work was significantly different between refractive error groups (P<.05), weekday near work (P=.08) was not. There were no differences between refractive error groups for daily light exposure (P = .89), time outdoors (P = .44), or sleep duration (P = .80). Conclusions: There was no significant change in sleep duration and physical activity regardless of refractive error over the pandemic, while results revealed a significant decrease in outdoor light exposure and the increase in near and intermediate work, especially with electronic devices such as the computer.