A case study of digital eye strain in a university student population during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa: evidence of an emerging public health issue
Journal of Public Health in Africa
| Field | Value | |
| Title | A case study of digital eye strain in a university student population during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa: evidence of an emerging public health issue | |
| Creator | Munsamy, Alvin Jeffrey Naidoo, Shanice Akoo, Tasqeen Jumna, Sunayna Nair, Pavani Zuma, Skholiwe Blose, Sthembile | |
| Description | Background. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a nationwide lockdown in South Africa, initiating a shift in society’s interaction to the online space. Students therefore became reliant on electronic devices for learning.Objective. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of digital eye strain (DES) in a university student population during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa.Methods. Randomly sampled 290 university students were surveyed online about their screen time and DES during lockdown. The survey included a validated screen time questionnaire to measure screen time in hours per day and a validated computer vision syndrome questionnaire (CVS-Q) to measure the frequency and intensity of symptoms during edevice use (s). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze CVS-Q scores and screen time.Results. The mean (SD) age of the sample was 21.04 2.32 years. Of these, 82.41% used smartphone devices and 55.52% of the participants did not use any optical correction. The prevalence of DES during COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 was 64.24%. Screen time on an average weekday and over the weekend, as a primary activity, had a median of 13 hours per day during lockdown.Conclusion. The high prevalence of digital eye strain may be a harbinger of a decrease in student performance. Creating awareness of proper visual hygiene amongst students is paramount in decreasing the high prevalence of DES. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2022-09-07 | |
| Identifier | 10.4081/jphia.2022.2103 | |
| Source | Journal of Public Health in Africa; Vol 13, No 3 (2022); 12 2038-9930 2038-9922 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
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https://publichealthinafrica.org/index.php/jphia/article/view/442/478
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