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Digital eye strain in young screen users: A systematic review
Asimina Mataftsi1, Aikaterini K Seliniotaki1, Stella Moutzouri1
12(nd) Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Preventive Medicine
|March 28, 2023
Summary
Digital eye strain (DES) is common with increased screen time. Optimizing ergonomics and limiting daily screen use can help reduce symptoms, while blue-blocking filters show no preventative effect.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology and Public Health
Background:
- Digital eye strain (DES), also known as computer vision syndrome (CVS), affects numerous individuals globally due to escalating digital screen usage.
- Identifying factors that cause or alleviate DES is crucial for developing effective public health policies and user guidance.
Approach:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major databases (PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane, Trip Database) and grey literature up to July 2021.
- Included studies focused on young, pre-presbyopic (<40 years) digital device users, utilizing validated questionnaires for DES diagnosis and assessing associated factors.
- Ten studies (five interventional, five observational) involving 2365 participants were analyzed, with risk of bias and GRADE evaluations performed.
Key Points:
- Evidence suggests that prolonged screen use (>4-5 hours/day) and poor ergonomic setups are linked to increased DES symptom scores.
- The use of blue-blocking filters was not found to prevent DES symptoms in the reviewed studies.
- The quality of evidence for blue-blocking filters and screen duration was rated as low to moderate.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing ergonomic parameters and reducing daily screen time are recommended strategies for minimizing DES symptoms.
- Health professionals and policymakers should consider promoting these practices for both occupational and recreational digital screen users.
- Current evidence does not support the use of blue-blocking filters for preventing digital eye strain.
