A Study of Prevalence and Association of Dry Eye Disease with Visual Display Terminal Use in Children- A Cross Sectional Observational Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND Paediatric dry eye disease is a major health concern. VDT's like laptops, tablets and smart phones are very commonly in use in children. Our study was done to evaluate percentage of DED in children and to evaluate association between VDT use and DED in children. METHODS A cross sectional study was conducted in ophthalmology OPD of a tertiary eye care centre for a duration of one year. All children between 6-16 years of age were included. Exclusion criteria included any ocular surgery in past 6 months or any acute ocular infections, extensive corneal or conjunctival pathology or eyelid pathologies. RESULTS The rate of Dry Eye Disease (DED) found in our study was 11.03%. The daily duration of smartphone use, and total daily duration of VDT use were associated with increased association of dry eye disease. 290 children in all were examined, out of which, 32 had dry eyes. 88 children were excluded according to exclusion criteria. 32 children had Dry Eye Disease and 170 children were taken as non DED group. 97 were males (48.02%) and 105 were females (51.98%) out of 202 children included in the study. There were 17 girls (53.12%) in the dry eye disease group and 78 girls (45.88%) in the non DED group. Smart phone usage per day in DED group was 3.15±0.97 hours while in non DED group it was 0.64±0.69 hours. Computer usage per day was 1.10 ± 0.53 hrs. in DED group and 0.66±0.34 hrs in non DED group. Hours used in watching television per day were 1.17±0.56 hours in DED group and 1.01±0.40 hrs in non DED group. CONCLUSIONS There is a strong association between VDT use and dry eye disease in paediatric population. Smart phone usage amongst children should be minimized.

Smartphone gaming induces dry eye symptoms and reduces blinking in school-aged children

“…Investigations of ocular surface effects of smartphone use in children have focussed on children with dry eye. Studies in school-aged children with dry eye found increased dry eye symptoms with self-reported smartphone use of more than one [ 27 ] and 3 h [ 29 ] per day, relative to control with healthy eyes. Similarly, studies conducted in school-aged children with dry eye showed a reduction in ocular symptoms following cessation of smartphone use for one month [ 17 , 28 ].…”

Correlation Between Online Gaming Duration and Dry Eyes Complaints and Quality of Life Using DEQS Questionnaire

“…[22], [23], [24] In this study, the division of play duration used was < 2 hours, 2-4 hours and > 4 hours. [9], [16], [17] Data on the degree of dry eye complaints and quality of life of samples in this study were taken using the DEQS questionnaire with a dry eye degree score consisting of the lowest value of 0, which showed no indication of dry eyes and the highest score of 100 indicating severe symptoms. Quality of life data was taken based on the sample's subjective answers to the last question from the DEQS questionnaire.…”

“…Research by Lee et al [9] reported the use of VDT for non-stop gaming for four hours a day is more at risk of experiencing CVS whose one component is dry eye. Research conducted by Sodani et al [17] reported the use of VDT at night with a duration of > one hour for gaming increases the risk of getting dry eye symptoms.…”

Assessing the Impact of Prolonged Screen Time on Ophthalmic Health among Students: A Post-COVID-19 Study in Pakistan

“…It is characterized by a disruption in the tear film, resulting in the drying of tears. This condition is commonly associated with decreased intervals between blinking [10,11]. Continuous use of screens can cause eye fatigue and soreness, which contributes to the eye injury and diseases like refractive error, myopia, cataract, and glaucoma [12].…”