Smartphone use causes paediatric dry eye disease

A study published in BMC Ophthalmology revealed that symptoms of dry eye disease were more common in children who spent hours a day on smartphones, while those who forewent their phones for a whole month experienced significantly fewer symptoms.

In the South Korean study involving 916 children between the ages of seven and 12, eye exams concluded that 6.6 percent met the criteria for dryeye disease. Of these, 97 percent admitted they used smartphones an average of 3.2 hours a day. When researchers looked at the children with no symptoms, they found that 55 percent used smartphones for an average of only 37 minutes a day.

Staring at smartphones, computers and other screens for extended periods of time tends to reduce blinking, which leads to faster evaporation of tear film and increases the risk of dry eye diseases, explained Dr Florence M. Manurung, Pediatric Ophthalmologist at the Jakarta Eye Center, to Global Health and Travel (GHT). She explained that symptoms like frequent blinking, redness around the eye, itchiness and a tendency to veer away from light could all suggest pediatric dry eye disease.

The study’s researchers also revealed that overusing screens could cause digital eyestrain, which has similar symptoms to dry eye disease. “Just as in adults, dry eyes and digital eyestrain in children can be irritating and painful. These symptoms can affect vision, which in turn will impact children’s lives at school and educational activities such as reading and using the computer,” said Dr Manurung.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, both dry eye disease and digital eyestrain conditions are believed by many specialists to be both underdiagnosed and undertreated in children. Similar to adults, the most common treatments for dry eye disease in children include artificial tears to help alleviate irritating symptoms in milder to moderate cases, while punctual or tear duct plugs are used if compliance with drops seems to be an issue. The plugs are biocompatible devices inserted into tear ducts to block drainage and increase the eye’s tear film or surface moisture.

Though the growing trend of smartphone use among children is difficult to control, Dr Manurung believes that monitoring the amount of time spent in front of screens can help decrease the risk of developing pediatric dry eye disease. Some of her suggestions include limiting the use of electronic gadgets during daytime, avoiding screen usage an hour before bedtime, taking a 10-minute break to look at distant objects between every hour of screen usage, and refraining from single screen sessions exceeding two hours.

This story was originally published in the Global Health and Travel issue of October 2017