Well-implemented school myopia management practices have a role to play in reducing the incidence of myopia in school-age children, according to a study by Chinese researchers.
The school day in China lasts from 8am to 5pm, and teachers not only instruct students about visual health knowledge directly, but also influence their attitudes and behaviours to a large extent.
Since the Comprehensive Plan to Prevent Myopia among Children and Teenagers was released in 2018, schools in China are required to instruct and monitor students’ myopia-related behavioural habits, ensure adequate outdoor activities for students, and provide a favourable visual environment.
The study, published in BMC Public Health, 1 evaluated the effects of these school myopia management measures on myopia onset and progression in a prospective one-year observational study. In total, 8,319 children from 26 elementary schools were included in the study.
The study found that from 2019 to 2020, the incidence of myopia among primary school students was 36.49%; the mean difference of spherical equivalent in myopic children was−0.29±1.22 dioptres.
The study found that in students aged eight and nine, “the risk of incident myopia was reduced by 20%… with well-implemented class recess compared with those with poorly implemented class recess”.
In students aged 10 and 11, well-implemented physical education (PE) and outdoor time significantly reduced students’ incident myopia by 24%.
“The present study (also) found that well-guided reading and writing postures, well-implemented writing on blackboard, well-implemented desk and chair height reduced the risk of myopia development.”
“In summary, well-implemented school myopia management practices had a protective effect on student myopia in our study,” the authors concluded.
“Our study clearly demonstrated that encouraging outdoor activities during recess or PE class, and providing adequate instruction in reading and writing postures, good writing on blackboard, desks and chairs with suitable heights significantly delayed the development of myopia.”
Reference
- Shi, J.j., Wang, Yj., Lyu, Pp., et al., Effects of school myopia management measures on myopia onset and progression among Chinese primary school students. BMC Public Health 23, 1819 (2023). doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16719-z.
