The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to light the issue of undetected vision defects among children in India. City-based ophthalmologists discuss the immediate need for eye check-ups to diagnose refractive errors at an early stage
Myopia is one of the most common refractive errors among children in India. Image for representation: iStock
Recently, doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Eye centre said that amid the pandemic, kids and school children have come under the radar for various types of vision defects — with most cases being of myopia, or short-sightedness. According to the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment, at 29 percent, refractive errors form the major cause of visual impairment among people in the age group of 0-49 years. A number of research papers indicate that myopia is one among the major refractive errors found among Indian children.