Understanding the Impact of Digital Devices on Eye Health

Abstract

Background: The use of technological devices has become very high recently, which negatively affects the quality of eye health in the long term. Objective: This study was focused greatly on the assessment of eye health for participants. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period lasting from April 17, 2022, to October 24, 2023, for 110 participants for the purpose of identifying and evaluating eye health outcomes for people who use digital devices. This study recorded the main symptoms of people who suffer from eye strain, and degrees of eye strain were distributed among the included samples, which were determined according to criteria that included no eye strain or mild, moderate, or severe eye strain. A comprehensive assessment of eye health was performed by relying on both the Schirmer test to determine the extent of dry eyes and the Snellen test to examine visual acuity. Results: The current study showed that people under the age of 15 are the most vulnerable to or have visual problems. Our results found that males with 60 people were more than females with 50. Our study found that the percentage of people who use digital devices for less than 6 hours was 22 people, and Over 6 hours with 88 individuals, I found the number of digital devices used. The individuals who used one device were 18 patients, the individuals who used two devices were 42 patients, and the individuals who used three devices were 50. Our results identified the common symptoms of patients in terms of eye strain in 16 patients, blurred vision in 12 patients, tears in 9 patients, and dry eyes in 16 patients. For Snellen letters lost, our results found that 0-5 included 77 patients, 5-10 included 11 patients, and >10 included 22 patients. The results of the logistic regression evaluation of the risk factors affecting eye health showed that we found that age, duration, and variety of use of electronic devices, as well as symptoms, may affect eye health negatively. Conclusion: Our study indicated that excessive use and prolonged use of digital devices impair eye health and increase visual symptoms for the participants.

Keywords

Digital eye strain; Eye health; Symptoms; Schirmer test; and Snellen test