Digital device usage has increased significantly in last decade among all age groups, both for educational and recreational purposes. Computer vision syndrome (CVS), also known as digital eye strain (DES), represents a range of ocular, musculoskeletal, and behavioral conditions caused by prolonged use of devices with digital screens. This paper reviews the principal environmental, ocular, and musculoskeletal causes for this condition. Due to the high prevalence of DES and frequent usage of digital devices, it is important that eye care practitioners be able to provide advice and management options based on quality research evidence.

Objective. Analysis of ophthalmological and musculoskeletal changes secondary to the use of electronic devices with digital screen, such as smartphones, laptops, computers or tablets. Material and Methods. This paper represents is a prospective observational study of 35 participants with ages between 6 and 17. The ophthalmological exam was carried out for all participants in the Ophthalmological Clinic of “Sf. Spiridon” Emergency Hospital, Iaşi, and the exam of musculoskeletal disorders took place at “Sf. Maria” Pediatrics Hospital, Iaşi. A questionnaire including 14 questions was also distributed for the symptoms caused by the use of digital screen electronic devices. Results. The mean age of participants was 11,29 ± 3,54 years, predominantly female children (62,9%). Convergence insufficiency has been identified in all patients with accommodative disorders and in 18.2% of the children with amblyopia (p = 0.001). The frequency of cases with dry eye syndrome (DES) was 9.1% in the patients with accommodative disorders and 18.2% in the patients with amblyopia. In the entire studied group of patients, the smartphone was the most frequently used electronic device, being found in 77.1% of the cases. As for the gender, about 54% of the boys spent more than 5 hours on electronic devices, while 54.5% of the girls spent between 3 to 5 hours. Among the symptoms that occur during the use of gadgets, pain in the neck, shoulders and back was found most often, being identified in 29 participants. Conclusion. Pre-existent ophthalmological symptoms can be exacerbated by prolonged use of digital screen electronic devices. Musculoskeletal symptoms were encountered in high numbers in all participants, which suggests that musculoskeletal changes must be treated with great importance in Computer Vision Syndrome. Also, the symptomatology determined by the use of gadgets was more frequently associated with males than females. Abbreviations: CVS = computer vision syndrome, VA = visual acuity, VDT= visual display terminals, DES = dry eye syndrome

Brain neurodegenerative diseases (BND) are debilitating conditions that are especially characteristic of a certain period of life and considered major threats to human health. Current treatments are limited, meaning that there is a challenge in developing new options that can efficiently tackle the different components and pathophysiological processes of these conditions. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAS) is an endocrine axis with important peripheral physiological functions such as blood pressure and cardiovascular homeostasis, as well as water and sodium balance and systemic vascular resistance—functions which are well-documented. However, recent work has highlighted the paracrine and autocrine functions of RAS in different tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS). It is known that RAS hyperactivation has pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant effects, thus suggesting that its pharmacological modulation could be used in the management of these conditions. The present paper underlines the involvement of RAS and its components in the pathophysiology of BNDs such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Huntington’s disease (HD), motor neuron disease (MND), and prion disease (PRD), as well as the identification of drugs and pharmacologically active substances that act upon RAS, which could alleviate their symptomatology or evolution, and thus, contribute to novel therapeutic approaches.

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