Myopia and Depression among Middle School Students in China—Is There a Mediating Role for Wearing Eyeglasses?

Abstract

Compared with non-myopic students, myopic students face more barriers to learning (e.g., inability to see the blackboard clearly) and socializing (e.g., being victims of teasing, social exclusion and violence), which may lead to increased stress, anxiety and frustration. The high prevalence of myopia and depression among school-age children naturally raises a question of great policy relevance: are myopic students more vulnerable to mental health problems such as depression? This paper sheds some light on this question by analyzing data from the China Education Panel Survey, a large-scale survey of China’s middle school students. Our analysis first quantifies the association between myopia and sample students’ depression status (measured by the widely adopted CES-D scale) adjusted for potential confounding factors. We then explore whether the myopia–depression relationship is mediated by wearing eyeglasses, a cost-effective means of vision correction. Based on data on 19,299 middle school students, our analysis reveals that myopic students scored 0.12 standard deviations higher on the CES-D scale than their non-myopic counterparts. The adverse effect of myopia is more severe for relatively disadvantaged students: older students (who are more likely to suffer from both myopia and depression), lower-performing students and students from poorer families. Further medication analysis shows that wearing eyeglasses suppresses the myopia–depression relationship but cannot completely offset the adverse effect of myopia.

A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study on Visual Impairment and Depression Among Students — Jiangsu Province, China, 2017–2022

“…The processing of visual information involves multiple brain regions, such as the visual cortex, secondary visual cortex, and emotionally-related areas like the amygdala (9). Abnormal processing of visual information or visual impairments may consequently impact the functioning of these brain regions and influence emotional states (10). Moreover, visual impairments can lead to social isolation, self-awareness issues, and daily life challenges, which may contribute to the onset of depressive symptoms (11).…”

Stress events and stress symptoms in Chinese secondary school students: gender and academic year characteristics of the relationship

“…In 2022, the National Mental Health Assessment and Development Center of the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences surveyed more than 30,000 primary and secondary school students in 29 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country, and found that the detection rate of depression among secondary school students was 14.8%, which was lower than the detection rate of 19.0% in 2020, but still higher than the global average depression detection rate of secondary school students ( 16 ). Depression, as the most common psychological problem among secondary school students in China, has become an important risk factor for inducing them to commit suicide, and also has a negative impact on their cognitive, social, academic, and other aspects of development ( 17 ). Anxiety is an emotional state.…”