Effects of the excessive use of electronic screens on vision and emotional state

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate relations between electronic screen use and eye health in a representative sample of the Brazilian population. Methods Data were collected online and analyzed at a private Brazilian hospital (Provisão Hospital, Maringá, Brazil). Male and female individuals aged 12 to 35 years participated in the study. A population-based cross-sectional survey based on a questionnaire developed using the Google Forms interface was carried out. The questionnaire was answered anonymously in order to ensure the confidentiality of data and the privacy of participants. Data were collected between October 13, 2020, and January 30, 2021. Results A total of 200 questionnaires were completed. Most responders were young people aged 18 to 27 years. Daily electronic device use time reported by responders ranged from more than 5 hours (150; 75.5%) to 3 to 5 hours/day (28; 14%) or 2 to 3 hours/day (16; 8%). Only a small proportion of responders (2.5%) used these devices less than 1 hour per day. Most participants had myopia (164; 84%) and/or astigmatism (151; 75.5%), whereas keratoconus was less prevalent (34; 17%). However, 92 participants were unable to say whether they had these diseases or not. Most participants reported eye symptoms after screen use (red eyes, fatigue, dry and gritty eyes and blurred vision). Mental issues such as smartphone dependence and difficulties to communicate while using electronic devices were also addressed. Most responders reported dependence and communication problems. Conclusions Most young people in this sample had sings of eye disease, including keratoconus. Smartphone dependence and addition was also observed. Findings presented may inform future studies and help health authorities to properly guide public health strategies aimed at eye disease prevention.摘要 研究目的：探究巴西人群代表性样本中电子屏幕使用与眼部健康的关联。 研究方法：本研究数据通过线上方式采集，分析工作于巴西马林加市的私立医院Provisão Hospital开展。研究纳入12至35岁的男性与女性参与者，采用基于谷歌表单（Google Forms）开发的问卷开展基于人群的横断面调查。问卷采用匿名作答形式，以保障数据保密性与参与者隐私。数据采集时间为2020年10月13日至2021年1月30日。 研究结果：本研究共回收有效问卷200份。多数应答者为18至27岁的青年人。应答者报告的每日电子设备使用时长分布如下：每日使用时长超过5小时者150例（占比75.5%），3至5小时者28例（占比14%），2至3小时者16例（占比8%）；仅2.5%的应答者每日电子设备使用时长不足1小时。多数参与者存在近视（myopia）和/或散光（astigmatism），检出率分别为84%（164例）与75.5%（151例）；圆锥角膜（keratoconus）的患病率较低，为17%（34例）。但有92名参与者无法确认自身是否患有上述眼部疾病。多数参与者报告使用电子屏幕后出现眼部症状，包括眼红、视疲劳、眼干异物感及视力模糊。本研究同时调研了智能手机依赖（smartphone dependence）、使用电子设备时的沟通障碍等精神心理问题，多数应答者报告存在上述依赖与沟通问题。 研究结论：本研究样本中的多数青年人存在眼部疾病迹象，包括圆锥角膜。同时也观察到智能手机依赖与成瘾现象。本研究结果可为后续相关研究提供参考，并助力卫生当局合理制定针对眼部疾病预防的公共卫生策略。