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- Title
Visual Activity of Schoolchildren during the School Day Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Educator Survey.
- Authors
Williams, Rachel C.; Ostrin, Lisa A.
- Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced barriers to in-person learning, challenging teachers worldwide to modify their classroom activities. These changes in daily visual behavior could have long-term implications for children's eye health. Methods: Teachers (n=52) were asked to describe the platforms used for teaching, estimate the time children spent in various activities during the school day, and describe their perceptions of how children's vision may be affected by pandemic-related classroom changes. Results: During the pandemic, classroom time spent in group work decreased, while individual work increased (both p<0.005). The use of printed material decreased, whereas computer, phone, and tablet use for academic purposes increased (all p<0.005). Most teachers believed that pandemicrelated classroom changes contributed to increased amounts of near work and eye fatigue in their students. Conclusions: The adoption of digital devices for learning may have a lasting impact on eye health. Guidelines for the use of digital devices in schools should be based on evidence-based studies and prompt educators to balance teaching modalities. Given previously reported associations between visual activity with conditions such as myopia and computer vision syndrome, eye care professionals should be prepared to monitor for potential post-pandemic ocular issues in children.
- Subjects
COVID-19 pandemic; SCHOOL day; TEACHING methods; EDUCATORS; SCHOOL children; FORMATIVE tests
- Publication
Texas Public Health Journal, 2024, Vol 76, Issue 1, p20
- ISSN
2574-5859
- Publication type
Article