Nazma Sultana Hussain* and Moamanen Jamir
Aim: The purpose was to determine the prevalence, the symptom frequency and severity and the associated risk factors of Digital Eye Strain (DES) among the universitygoing students attending and have attended online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A total of 300 subjects from different university within the Jorhat region for a period of 4 months, from January to April, 2022 were enrolled in this cross sectional study. Questions about the habits of digital device usage, its severity and frequency were asked in the questionnaire. Data was collected and tabulated in MS Excel and further analyzed using SPSS software version 26.00. Associated risk factors of DES were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression with age, gender, device used, viewing distance and duration of screen use. A P value of ≤ 0.005 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Three hundred students responded to the questionnaire. The mean age of the student was found to be 22.10 ± 2.0. The mean duration of digital devices used during the COVID-19 pandemic was found to be 3.22 ± 0.98 h which is more than the pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2.80 ± 1.07, P<0.001). Prevalence of DES in the cohort was 92% (n=276). Of these 27% were mild, 37% moderate and 27.3% of severe grade. Multivariate analysis revealed that age 21 years (P=0.05), female gender (P=0.0005), smartphone use (P=0.004) and duration of online class >4 hr (P=0.0008) as independent risk factors for DES in the student.
Conclusion: There is an increased prevalence of DES among the student in the COVID pandemic compared to before the COVID pandemic. Parents, teachers and eye care practitioners should be considerate about the usage of digital device to avoid DES and Optometrist should provide guidelines for the proper usage of the gadgets for abolishing the symptoms and sufferings due to DES.
Published Date: 2023-09-18; Received Date: 2023-07-17
