“IMPACT OF DAILY DIGITAL DEVICE USAGE DURATION ON TEAR FILM STABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS”
Main Article Content
Keywords
Digital device usage, Tear film stability, Tear breakup time, Dry eye disease, Digital eye strain, Young adults, Ocular surface health
Abstract
Background: There has been a sharp rise in the use of digital devices among young adults, which has raised concerns about how this might be affecting eye health, mainly the ocular surface. Spending extended hours in front of screens leads to a lower blink rate, a higher rate of tear evaporation, and tear film instability, all of which are significant factors causing dry eye disease. A stable tear film, which can be assessed by the Tear Breakup Time (TBUT), is crucial for both eye comfort and clear vision. Figuring out how daily use of digital devices affects tear film stability can help detect early signs of ocular surface problems.
Objective: Investigate the effect of the time spent daily on digital devices on the tear film stability of young adults through Tear Breakup Time measurements, and determine the relationship of screen exposure duration with tear film stability.
Methods: The work was conducted as a cross-sectional study at Isra Postgraduate institute of ophthalmology Al Ibrahim Eye Hospital, Pakistan, from January, 2024 to December, 2024. It involved 100 young adults aged 18-30. Based on the time spent on digital devices for daily activities, the participants were split into three groups (<3 hours, 3-6 hours, and >6 hours). Tear film stability was measured by the Tear Breakup Time (TBUT) assay, which was done by slit lamp biomicroscopy after staining with fluorescein.
Results: The study found that people who used digital devices for a very long time (over 6 hours/day) had a much shorter TBUT (8.9 ± 2.7 seconds) than those with moderate (11.6 ± 2.4 seconds) and low usage (14.8 ± 2.1 seconds) groups. There were more cases of tear film instability in the group of heavy digital device users, indicating a very strong negative correlation between screen time and tear film stability.
Conclusion: Prolonged use of digital devices significantly impairs tear film stability in young adults. It is necessary to have preventive measures, such as limiting the time of using digital screens, keeping good digital hygiene, to mitigate these effects and keep the ocular surface health.
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Abdul Qadeem Soomro
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Alibrahim Eye Hospital, Isra Postgraduate Institution of Ophthalmology Malir, Karachi
Fayaz Ahmed Soomro
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Institute Al Ibrahim Eye Hospital Isra Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology Karachi
Abdul Sattar
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Institute Al Ibrahim Eye Hospital Isra Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology Karachi
Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Institute Al Ibrahim Eye Hospital Isra Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology Karachi
Syed Saifullah Shah
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Institute Al Ibrahim Eye Hospital Isra Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology Karachi
Abdullah Laghari
Optometrist, Institute Al Ibrahim Eye Hospital Isra Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology Karachi
Hina Khan
Professor, Deputy Director Research and Postgraduate Affairs
