A local optometrist says more children are being diagnosed as nearsighted, and it is happening at younger ages.

A paper in the British Journal of Ophthalmology recently concluded that one-third of children are nearsighted, three times what it was in 1990.

Doctor Stephanie Powell Jenkins, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Optometrists’ Association, says that research is consistent with what she’s seeing in the province, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to research, Powell Jenkins suggests that indoor time is a big factor, which is consistent with what happened during the pandemic.

She says other factors include genetics and having parents who are myopic, and children doing a lot more “near work,” meaning reading and working on tablets and phones.