Objective   To examine the eyesight status among primary and middle school students in Guangzhou city during the epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and provide evidences for the prevention and control of myopia in the students.

  Methods   During March 2020, we conducted an online self-administered survey among 10 416 students in 10 primary and middle schools in urban, suburban, and outer suburban regions of Guangzhou city. An online questionnaire was used to collect the students′ information on vision decline and eye symptoms during previous one month.

  Results   Among the 10 416 students, 4 447 (42.7%) reported vision decline and 4 479 (43.0%) reported suffering from ocular symptoms; the self-reported rate of decreased vision and eye symptoms were 42.2% and 44.1% for the urban students, 45.1% and 44.5% for the suburban students, and 40.3% and 39.7% for the outer suburban students, with statistically significant differences among different student groups (all P < 0.001); both the self-reported rate of vision decline and eye symptoms were significantly higher in the girl students than those in the boy students (44.6% vs. 40.8% and 47.6% vs. 38.5%, both P < 0.001). Among the primary students of grade 1 – 3, primary students of grade 4 – 6, junior middle school students, and senior middle school students, the self-reported rate of decreased vision and eye symptoms were 32.3% and 31.5%, 38.1% and 33.3%, 40.8% and 40.6%, and 55.3% and 60.6%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The highest reported rate (27.5%) of ocular symptoms was dry eye symptom, followed by that of itchy eyes (18.9%), aggravation of blurred distant vision (15.2%) and eye pain (10.7%).

  Conclusion   During COVID-19 epidemic, the occurrence of vision decline and ocular symptoms increased obviously among primary and middle school students in Guangzhou city, suggesting that comprehensive measures should be adopted to promote eye hygiene of the students.