Five Articles Relating to Eye Health

Eye health is one of the most concerning physical issues relating to screen use. Eye strain, dry eye, and more and younger people being diagnosed as nearsighted appear to be related to screen use. Summarized here together are several articles on eye health. While this is an important topic, some of the articles are too specialized to be useful on a wider scale.

Christina Rapp Prescott, M.D., Ph.D. Increased Screen Time and Dry Eye: Another Complication of COVID-19. Eye & Contact Lens, Volume 47, Number 8, August 2021. This opinion piece cites research worldwide, most of it leading to the conclusion that too much screen time increases dry eye. The pandemic dramatically accelerated these results. Dry eye is harmful both to eyes and mental health; the author recommends time outside. DOI/Link: https://doi.org/10.1097/ICL.0000000000000820

Sara Bush, OD, FAAO. Screen Time in the Pediatric Population: A Review of Its Effects on Refractive Error, Attention and Learning,and Ocular Health. Vision Development & Rehabilitation Volume 4, Issue 3, September 2018.  This article relates to screen time in the pediatric population. Difficulties seen include refractive error, problems with attention and learning skills, and overall ocular health. Close work was noted as particularly problematic, as well as blue light. While specific conclusions are waiting for more data, it is important to watch. DOI/Link: http://pubs.covd.org/VDR/issue4-3/?page=26

Abdelrahman M. Elhusseiny, et al. Relationship between screen time and dry eye symptoms in pediatric population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ocular Surface 22 (2021) 117–119 Increased screen time by children during the COVID-19 pandemic can contribute to symptoms of dry eye with potential negative impact on their ocular health. Increased ST is likely tocontinue to some degree even after resumption of in-person school, and it behooves us to understand its effects on children. DOI/Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2021.08.002

Hyo Seok Lee, Sang Woo Park and Hwan Heo. Acute acquired comitant esotropia related to excessive Smartphone Use. BMC Ophthalmology (2016) 16:37 Acute acquired comitant esotropia is a rare eye disease, which was studied for its connection to close work in teens. Twelve patients were included in this study. DOI/Link: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-016-0213-5

Aldo Vagge, MD, PhD, et al. Acute Acquired Concomitant Esotropia From Excessive Application of Near Vision During the COVID-19 Lockdown. Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus. 2020. Four case studies from Italy were examined in this article. The conclusion drawn was that  insufficient time out-doors and excessive near work might be associated with an increased risk of myopia. DOI/Link: https://doi.org/10.3928/01913913-20200828-01