The Influence of COVID-19 Isolation on Physical Activity Habits and Its Relationship with Convergence Insufficiency

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effects of confinement due to COVID-19 isolation on visual function, considering insufficient convergence as one of the possible effects of living the whole day in a reduced space. We pass a Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) among 235 people to detect their habits before and after 25 confinement days. The data collection protocol consisted on a Google forms questionnaire included two parts: the first with current data (isolation period) and a second with pre-isolation period data. Differences between the pre-isolation and isolation period were calculated using the related paired T-tests. When statistically significant differences were found, the effect size was estimated using the Cohen’s d index (d). The reduction in physical activity levels during confinement were related to the increase in total number of minutes of screen consumption from 433.49 min to 623.97 min per day (d = 0.67; 44.01%). The CISS scores were increased by more than 43% during confinement. The increase in convergence insufficiency was 100% after the studied isolation period of 25 days. The 92.19% increase in television use during 25 days of confinement is not responsible for the increase in convergence insufficiency. However, due to the increase in the use of PCs in this period, there is a notable increase in convergence insufficiency. Therefore, we can conclude that not all increases in tasks with electronic devices are responsible for the increase in convergence insufficiency.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sedentary Time and Behaviour in Children and Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…There were 64 studies included within the review [ 18 , 20 , 21 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , …”

“…Specific populations included elite athletes [ 43 ], post-bariatric patients [ 44 ], pregnant women [ 45 ], participants with depression [ 82 ], and children with autism [ 27 ], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, [ 28 ]), and obesity [ 29 ]. Finally, 25 studies (37.5%) were conducted in European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Scotland, Spain, and the United Kingdom; [ 27 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 42 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]), 18 (28.1%) in Asia (Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates; [ 20 , 21 , 28 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ]), 12 (18.8%) in North America (Canada and United States; [ 18 , 36 ,…”

Home-based exercise can be beneficial for counteracting sedentary behavior and physical inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults

“…Notwithstanding, the COVID-19 crisis imposes many older individuals to stay at home because of their higher risk of getting infected by the SARS CoV-2 virus (38). The decrease in PA during COVID-19 confinement is related to the increased use of electronic devices (39). Thus, reducing SB, maintaining good personal hygiene measures, and practicing PA/exercise may be effective countermeasures designed to attenuate the harmful effects of living under restricted environments due to COVID-19 spread in older adults and can contribute to protect these individuals against deconditioning and PI-induced muscle atrophy (40).…”

A review exploring convergence insufficiency in younger populations and e-devices in the digital era

“…Additionally, individuals who isolate or quarantine as a result of contracting the virus may find themselves interacting with e-devices more frequently in order to pass the time. A recent study by Mon-Lopez et al 63 investigated CISS scores among people who were in COVID-19 isolation and correlated this to their physical activity. A 43% increase in CISS scores was noted during the isolation period.…”

“…Their current lifestyle is dominated by technology and exposure to smart devices, this may be placing additional demands on the vergence system, 4 as shown by the above studies. 62,63 The evidence regarding young children and e-devices in this review is concerning and serves as a reminder that more studies need to be conducted on the visual and ocular-motor effects associated with e-devices in younger populations. 47 Rehabilitation is necessary at this age, as they are the future workforce of the world, which most likely be white-collar work as artificial intelligence is aiming to replace repetitive tasks such blue-collar work during the 4IR.…”