The impact of digital screen use on myopia progression in COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

The new coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) had a worldwide impact, this disease was affecting almost everyone's lives. It has caused many health issues to spiral out of control, one of them is myopia. Evidence suggests that myopia is impacted by environmental and lifestyle factors, with the importance of continuous usage of nearby digital screens being highlighted. The systematic review aims to analyze all the available information about the impact of digital screen use on myopia progression in a COVID-19 pandemic. The literature was searched from e-database PubMed and ScienceDirect. Quality assessment was done using the LEGEND (Let Evidence Guide Every New Decision) Evidence Evaluation Tools & Resources. A total of 10 papers were assessed qualitatively. The prevalence or incidence of myopia was reported in all ten studies. All of the studies discussed in this review suggest a relationship or impact between digital screen use and myopia progression. Four (40%) of the ten studies were cross-sectional, while the other six (60%) were cohort studies. The sample size ranged from 115 to 123535 participants. The majority of the participants in the studies were school-age children (primary and secondary school), but one study included university students. There were three studies involving subjects with myopia at baseline, one study involving subjects without myopia at baseline, and six studies involving subjects with myopia and without myopia. This systematic review shows that there is a significant progression of myopia as an impact of digital screen use during the COVID-19 pandemic.