Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr 2:2021:6630286.
doi: 10.1155/2021/6630286. eCollection 2021.

Visual Sequelae of Computer Vision Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Case-Control Study

Mohammed Iqbal  1 , Omar Said  2 , Ola Ibrahim  3 , Ashraf Soliman  3
Affiliations

Visual Sequelae of Computer Vision Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Case-Control Study

Mohammed Iqbal et al. J Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the visual, ocular, extraocular, and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) outcomes of computer vision syndrome (CVS) among medical students.

Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional case-control study that included 733 medical students. All students completed a specially designed and validated CVS questionnaire survey (CVS-F3). Students from the control (No-CVS) and CVS groups underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations including the mfERG examinations. Our main outcome measures included uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA and CDVA, resp.) measurements, subjective and cycloplegic refractions, slit-lamp examination, intraocular pressure measurement, pupillary reflexes tests, ocular movements' tests, dry eye disease tests, and fundus and mfERG examinations.

Results: The CVS-F3 identified that 87.9% of students had complaints that might be related to CVS. We documented a 76% prevalence rate in students undergoing an ophthalmologic exam. The most common ocular and extraocular complaints included visual blur and headache (40.9% and 46.8%, resp.). Statistical logistic and linear regression analyses showed that refractive errors, prolonged screen-hours, close eye-screen distance, improper gaze angle, poor screen-resolution, and screen-glare were risk factors for developing CVS and influencing its severity. In the mfERG subgroup, 42.5% demonstrated reduced amplitudes of mfERG rings and quadrants, indicating reduced foveal responses.

Conclusion: Surveys cannot yield an accurate CVS prevalence. However, they help to identify subjects at risk who should be comprehensively assessed to confirm or exclude CVS diagnosis. Smartphone misuse primarily caused CVS among users. Our mfERG findings might be a sign of potential CVS visual sequelae; however, future studies are warranted. Clinicians need to understand these sequelae to appropriately identify and treat CVS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
mfERG subgroup outcomes. (a) Plot showing the main differences in mfERG Rings P1 amplitudes between the control and the CVS groups. (b) Plot showing the main differences in mfERG Quadrants P1 amplitudes between the control and the CVS groups.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Multifocal electroretinography outcomes: (a) and (b) two students from the control group with normal foveal responses; (c) and (d) two students from the CVS group with reduced foveal responses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Vaz F. T., Henriques S. P., Silva D. S., Roque J., Lopes A. S., Mota M. Digital asthenopia: Portuguese group of ergophthalmology survey. Acta Médica Portuguesa. 2019;32(4):260–265. doi: 10.20344/amp.10942. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ahmed S. F., McDermott K. C., Burge W. K. Visual function, digital behaviour and the vision performance index. Clinical Ophthalmology. 2018;12:2553–2561. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Optometric Association. Computer vision syndrome. 2020. https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protectin....
    1. Klamm J., Tarnow K. G. Computer vision syndrome: a review of literature. MEDSURG Nursing. 2015;24(2):89–93. - PubMed
    1. Touitou Y., Touitou D., Reinberg A. Disruption of adolescents’ circadian clock: the vicious circle of media use, exposure to light at night, sleep loss and risk behaviors. Journal of Physiology-Paris. 2016;110(4):467–479. doi: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2017.05.001. - DOI - PubMed