Explainer: has the COVID pandemic caused an increase in shortsightedness in children?

A survey found that parents are concerned about the impact of screen time on their children’s eyesight but are unaware of ways to prevent shortsightedness. Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock

A rise in screen time during the pandemic has parents concerned about their children’s eyesight, but experts have said more focus is needed on other types of prevention.

Optometry Australia’s 2022 Vision Index survey, released last month, found that 64% of parents were concerned about the potential damage that spending more time looking at screens was doing to their children’s eyesight.