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Smartphone use may be linked to higher risk of dry eye disease in children
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Smartphone use was associated with an increased risk of dry eye disease in children, according to a study.
The study included 28 subjects diagnosed with dry eye disease. A control group comprised 260 subjects without dry eye. The mean age of the subjects was 11 years in the dry eye group and 10.87 years in the control group.
All subjects underwent assessment of best corrected visual acuity, slit lamp examination of the cornea and conjunctiva, evaluation of eyelid problems and measurement of tear break-up time.
Subjects also took a self-administered questionnaire to gauge use of computers, smartphones and television, use time per day, mean duration of sleep nightly and ocular dry eye symptoms.
Mean tear break-up time was 7.36 seconds in the dry eye group and 9.17 seconds in the control group. The between-group difference was statistically significant (P < .001).
The rate of smartphone use was 71.4% in the dry eye group and 50% in the control group (P = .036).
Daily duration of smartphone use (P = .027) and total daily duration of video display terminal use (P = .001) correlated strongly with increased risk of dry eye. However, daily duration of computer and television use was not associated with a significantly increased risk.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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