Association between time spent on smartphones and digital eye strain: A 1-year prospective observational study among Hong Kong children and adolescents

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 30; no. 20; pp. 58428 - 58435
• Main Authors: Chu, Geoffrey C. H., Chan, Lily Y. L., Do, Chi-wai, Tse, Andy C. Y., Cheung, Teris, Szeto, Grace P. Y., So, Billy C. L., Lee, Regina L. T., Lee, Paul H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-04-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Aquatic Pollution; Asthenopia; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Child; Children; Computer vision syndrome; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Fatigue; Health problems; Hong Kong; Humans; Longitudinal studies; Male; Observational studies; Prospective Studies; Public health; Research Article; Smartphone; Smartphones; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vision Disorders - etiology; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Wildlife observation; Hong Kong; Hong Kong China; China; Smartphones; Digital eye strain; Longitudinal study; Blurred vision; Chinese; Schoolchildren; Adolescents; Eye fatigue
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26258-0

Prolonged electronic screen use can cause digital eye strain. It can be difficult to rectify due to increasing smartphone reliance, potentially leading to serious public health problems. To investigate the association between time spent on smartphones and digital eye strain (DES) among Hong Kong Chinese school-aged children. Of a total of 1,508 students (748 males, 49.6%) from 8 to 14 years old (mean age = 10.91 years, SD = 2.01) who provided valid data on DES, the 1,298 (86%) who completed the DES questionnaire at 1-year follow-up were included in the analysis. DES was measured using a 10-item scale, and the sum of the 10 dichotomised scores was used as the DES total score. The most commonly reported symptoms were eye fatigue (n = 804, 53.3%), blurred vision (changing from reading to distance viewing) (n = 586, 38.9%), and irritated or burning eyes (n = 516, 34.2%). The DES total scores at baseline and 1-year follow-up were 2.91 (SD = 2.90) and 3.20 (SD = 3.19), respectively. Linear regression controlling for demographic and socio-economic confounders showed that participants with baseline smartphone usage of 241 + min/d had a significantly higher baseline total DES score than those with baseline smartphone usage of 0–60 min/d (2.44 vs 3.21,
P
 < 0.001), and participants with baseline smartphone usage of 181–240 min/d had a significantly higher 1-year follow-up total DES score than those with baseline smartphone usage of 0–60 min/d (2.80 vs 3.50,
P
 = 0.003).