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SINGAPORE – The Covid-19 pandemic could exacerbate the onset and progression of myopia, according to researchers from the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC).
Working from home or attending classes online has increased digital screen time for many, as well as increasing their frequency of working near work and limiting their outdoor activities, according to the study published in July.
However, the effects of the pandemic on myopia rates and people with myopia may only be felt decades later, said associate professor Marcus Ang, clinical director of SNEC’s Myopia Center.
“Myopia is a slow and progressive condition. That is why we are anxious and strict to detect it early on,” Professor Ang said at a virtual event on Tuesday (September 15) to mark the center’s first anniversary.
He added that the risk of developing myopia is higher for children between five and seven years old, and that they are more receptive to changes in behavior, so it is important to educate them now and not later in life.
One of the efforts of the Myopia Center to educate this age group is a children’s book, and it was read by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to children at seven PCF Sparkletots centers in Singapore during the event.
The book is the second in the center’s “Amanda the Panda” series, which follows the adventures of a young panda who learns about eye care practices.
Published by Wildtype Books, it will be released in bookstores soon.
The Myopia Center is also finding new ways to care for its patients. Its objective is to launch teleconsultations as part of its regular operations starting in January.
Said Professor Ang: “It was a coincidence that Covid-19 came and allowed us to reach our patients, since virtual consultations were already in process before the pandemic.”
From now until January, more tests will be conducted to ensure that the video-assisted assessment techniques clinicians use for online teleconsultations consistently deliver accurate results.
When asked if he was concerned about the increased screen time children are getting, Dr. Balakrishnan, an ophthalmologist and former SNEC medical director, said: “Yes, I am very concerned.
“All of us, especially our children, need to have a balanced life. We need to spend time outdoors, we have to take frequent breaks from reading or screen, we have to participate in sports, we have to participate in social development.”
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