CHANGES IN DIOPTRIC POWER OF GLASSES AMONG MYOPIC STUDENTS AT FK UDAYANA DURING ONLINE LEARNING 2020-2021

Abstract

Myopia caused sufferers to have difficulty seeing distant objects. Glasses were a common modality used to correct myopia. The prevalence of myopia and the diopter power of myopic glasses in adolescents continued to increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. Several studies mentioned that adolescents experienced an increase of 0.9 D in 7 months after the pandemic, compared to 0.6 D per year before the pandemic. Given the growing concern over myopia among students during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study was essential to understand the changes in the diopter power of glasses in myopic students at Udayana University Faculty of Medicine (FK Unud) during online learning in 2020-2021. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that influenced changes in the diopter power of glasses in myopic students at FK Unud during online learning in 2020-2021. This was a descriptive quantitative study with a cross- sectional method, and data were collected using a questionnaire. The respondent characteristics were mostly 21 years old, female, engaged in outdoor activities for more than 3 hours, spent over 4 hours in front of digital screens, had sufficient room lighting, and sat upright while using their devices. Most respondents had mild myopia (<3 D) in both the right and left eyes before online learning. The most common increase in myopia diopter power after online learning was between 0.5–1 D in both eyes. It was found that risk factors for progressive myopia, such as outdoor activity, digital screen time, room lighting, and the position of reading digital devices, did not have a significant impact on changes in the diopter power of glasses in myopic students at FK Udayana during online learning in 2020-2021.