Bengaluru: Increased screen time during COVID-19 pandemic has led to an alarming rise in squint eye cases and myopia (nearsightedness) progression among children. There has been five times year-on-year increase in the number of acute onset comitant esotropia in the last two years of the pandemic.
The onset and progression of myopia and squint eyes among school children has seen a two-fold increase, said data from Dr. Agarwals Eye Hospital. Dr. Rakesh Seenappa, Consultant Ophthalmologist of the hospital in Bengaluru, has said that they have seen almost doubling of cases of myopia among children of 8-16 years of age when compared to pre-pandemic times.
