This study aimed at evaluating refractive changes in German school-aged children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cross-sectional study.
414 eye care professional centres from Germany.
Refractive data from 59 926 German children aged 6–15 years were examined over a 7-year period (2015–2021).
Spherical equivalent refraction was assessed as a function of year, age and gender. The refractive values concerning 2020 and 2021 were compared with those assigned to prior years (2015–2019).
The refractive data associated with 2020 and 2021 showed a myopic refractive shift of approximately –0.20D compared with the 2015–2019 range. The refractive change was statistically considerable in the 6 to 11-year range (p
Disruption of normal lifestyle due to pandemic-related home confinement appears to lead to a myopic refractive shift in children aged 6–11 years in Germany. The greater effect observed at younger ages seems to emphasise the importance of refractive development in this age group.