Social jet lag and visual acuity decline in junior high students: a retrospective cohort study

May 8, 2026Scientific reports

Social jet lag linked to vision decline in junior high students

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Abstract

More than 40% of junior high school students in China have reduced visual acuity.

Large social jet lag, defined as a sleep midpoint difference of over 1 hour between school and leisure days, was identified in 28.9% of participants.
A total of 77 students (8.5%) experienced a decline in visual acuity over one year.
An increased risk of visual acuity decline was associated with large social jet lag, with an adjusted relative risk of 1.77.
The findings indicate that social jet lag may be a relevant factor influencing visual health in adolescents.

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Reduced visual acuity, defined according to the Technical Standard for Physical Examination for Students (GB/T 26343 - 2010) as unaided distance visual acuity below 5.0 on the 5-grade notation scale (equivalent to LogMAR ＞ 0.0), affects more than 40% of junior high school students in China. Lifestyle factors have been implicated in refractive development; however, the role of social jet lag remains unclear. We examined the association between large social jet lag, defined as a sleep midpoint discrepancy exceeding 1 h between school and leisure days, and incident visual acuity decline over one year. In this retrospective cohort study, 903 students from 2 junior high schools in Yangzhou, China were included. Baseline lifestyle-related information was extracted from pre-2020 records. Initial visual acuity was assessed in 2020, with follow-up assessment in 2021. Incident visual acuity decline was defined as a deterioration of at least 1 acuity grade. During follow-up, 77 students (8.5%) experienced visual acuity decline. Large social jet lag, observed in 28.9% of participants, was independently associated with an increased risk of visual acuity decline (adjusted RR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.13-2.78). These findings suggest that social jet lag is associated with visual acuity decline in junior high school students and may represent a relevant lifestyle-related factor in adolescent visual health.

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Social jet lag and visual acuity decline in junior high students: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

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