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Dry eye symptoms, signs correlated with computer use
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Signs and symptoms of dry eye significantly increased with computer usage, according to a study recently published in the European Journal of Ophthalmology.
Yazici and colleagues assessed 77 participants: 51 computer users who ranged in age between 20 and 45 years and 26 controls who ranged in age between 22 and 50 years.
The participants included subjects who used computers vocationally, such as secretaries and computer operators, and control subjects whose computer use was unrelated to work and totaled 1 hour or less each day.
Researchers performed a series of tests in all the subjects before and after work. Those tests included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, Schirmer’s test, tear osmolarity, length of computer use, ocular surface vital dye staining and tear break-up time (TBUT).
Results showed that participants who used computers vocationally demonstrated significantly decreased TBUT and Schirmer’s scores, as well as increased osmolarity and symptoms.
"Approximately one of every four computer users had positive dry eye diagnosis according to the tear osmolarity values, compared to one of every eight control subjects (27.4% vs 15.4%, respectively)," the authors concluded. "The objective increment in tear osmolarity is a good indicator that presents the dry eye effect of VDT use."
They continued: "Further larger scale studies are needed to address the dry eye effect of VDT use in the working-age population." – by Chelsea Frajerman Pardes
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial interests.
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