5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  A study found delayed increases in refractive and corneal astigmatism among Hong Kong schoolchildren after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

• 2

  Refractive astigmatism prevalence rose from 25% in 2020 to 35% in 2022-2023, while corneal astigmatism prevalence increased from 59% to 65% during the same period.

• 3

  The pandemic period was associated with increased odds of refractive and corneal astigmatism, with adjusted increases of 0.04 and 0.05 diopters, respectively.

• 4

  Prolonged digital device use and decreased outdoor time during the pandemic may have contributed to the observed corneal shape changes in children.

• 5

  The study's limitations include a lack of generalizability due to the homogenous participant population and potential recall bias in parental astigmatism reporting.