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. 2022 Jul;11(7):3642-3647.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2219_21. Epub 2022 Jul 22.

Effect of increased screen time on eyes during COVID-19 pandemic

Richa Agarwal  1 , Alka Tripathi  1 , Imran Ahmed Khan  2 , Mohit Agarwal  3
Affiliations

Effect of increased screen time on eyes during COVID-19 pandemic

Richa Agarwal et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of the study was to assess the effect of increased screen time on ocular health during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

Materials and method: An online pretested, self-reported questionnaire with relevant details was generated through Google form and sent to participants. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used to investigate the associations between the qualitative variables. The associated risk factors of number and frequency of ocular health problems were analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

Result: A total of 435 responses were considered where 48.5% (N = 211) were female participants and 51.5% (N = 224) were male. Average age of the participants was 35 years. 89% of the participants reported an increase in the screen time during the during the lockdown period. Younger age group reported to have greater screen time than the older participants (p = 0.001) and hence experienced more symptoms of digital eye strain (DES) (p = 0.003). The most common symptoms associated with digital eye strain in our study were eyestrain 52.8% (N = 230) and headache 31.3% (N = 136). In total, 81.37% (354/435) of participants had experienced at least one symptom related to digital screen usage.

Conclusion: DES is non-vision-threatening but discomfort caused due to it can have implications on overall physical, mental, and social well-being. The study highlights the increase in digital screen time during the pandemic and the resultant eye strain. There is need of spreading awareness regarding the adverse effects of digital device use and the preventive measures to safeguard our ocular health.

Keywords: COVID-19; computer vision syndrome; digital eye strain; ocular health.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Symptoms of digital eye strain experienced by the study population in pre- and post-COVID-19 period
Figure 2
Figure 2
Frequency of symptoms of digital eye strain experienced by the study population
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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