Translation and Preliminary Validation of the Computer Vision Syndrome Scale-17 (CVSS-17) into Arabic: A Pilot Study

To create and validate a culturally appropriate Arabic translation of the Computer Vision Syndrome Scale-17 (CVSS-17) for assessing computer vision syndrome (CVS) symptoms among Arabic-speaking populations.

Following established cross-cultural adaptation guidelines, the CVSS-17 was translated into Arabic by two independent translators, then reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee and back-translated. The questionnaire was administered to 60 healthy Arabic-speaking participants (aged 18-40 years) across 2 sessions conducted 2-5 days apart. The psychometric evaluation included internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

The participants had an average age of 20.7 ± 1.3 years (45% male, 55% female), with mean CVSS-17 scores of 34.4 ± 11.0 (range: 20-60). The Arabic CVSS-17 demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.904, range: 0.890-0.905) and test-retest reliability ranging from 0.50-0.93, and item-retest correlations ranging from 0.57-0.91 (p < 0.001). The floor and ceiling effects were minimal (1.7% each), indicating good discriminative ability.

The Arabic CVSS-17 demonstrated excellent reliability and internal consistency, highlighting its utility as a culturally appropriate screening tool for CVS symptoms in Arabic-speaking populations. The cultural adaptation of this questionnaire successfully maintains psychometric integrity and establishes a solid foundation for standardized CVS assessment research in Arabic-speaking regions.