Assessing the Factors and Prevalence of Digital Eye Strain among Digital Screen Users using a Validated Questionnaire An Observational Study

Introduction: Digital screen usage has grown up rampantly and various ocular complaints arise as a result of the same. Digital eye strain causes constant trouble to people with prolonged digital screen usage and this study was done to find the factors in digital screen that could be modified to reduce the eye strain. Methods: In this study a validated questionnaire was used among computer users and various symptoms people experienced were analysed. Dry eye test i.e. Schirmer’s tests I and II were performed in all the study subjects and dry eye was confirmed among the users. Results: In our study grittiness was the most common complaint and questionnaire employed in this study was 85 % sensitive and 72 % specific for identifying Digital eye strain. It also has a high positive predictive value of 85.6% in identifying dry eye among the users. In this study it has been found that almost all people with computer screen usage of >5 hr had symptoms of dry eye and also test positive for the same. Conclusion: Digital eye strain present most commonly as minor complaints like grittiness of eyes and more symptoms are seen in people who used contact lens and used digital screen for prolonged duration. A self administered questionnaire will be a potential tool in diagnosing digital eye strain at the earliest among digital screen users.