Determining the Best Management Strategy for Preventing Short-Term Effects of Digital Display Use on Dry Eyes. Issue 10 (30th October 2022) - Talens-Estarelles, Cristian
Abstract : Objectives: To assess and compare the effectiveness of four main management strategies for preventing short-term effects of digital display use on dry eye signs and symptoms. Methods: The ocular surface, tear film, and visual fatigue of 47 healthy individuals were assessed before and after reading on a laptop computer for 20 min under five different experimental conditions: control, instillation of artificial tears, taking a brief break, using a blue light screen filter, and blink control. Measurements included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) Questionnaire, 5-item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5), tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive keratograph break-up time (NIKBUT), bulbar conjunctival redness, and pupil size. Results: Worse results were obtained after the control and blue light filter conditions in all variables ( P ≤0.037). A higher post-task DEQ-5 score ( P =0.013) and TMH ( P <0.0005) were obtained when taking a brief break compared with pretask, although the increase in symptoms was significantly smaller than that observed in the nonmanagement control condition ( P ≤0.036). Similarly, a smaller increase in OSDI and DEQ-5 was obtained with the use of artificial tears and blink control in comparison with the control condition ( P ≤0.008), whereas a greater increase in DEQ-5 and decrease in NIKBUT was obtained for the blue light filter condition in comparison with the instillation of artificial tears ( P =0.017) or blink control ( P =0.008), respectively. Finally, a significantly lower post-task pupil size was obtained for all the conditions ( P ≤0.027). Conclusions: The instillation of artificial tears and blink control were the best management strategies for preventing short-term effects of digital display use on dry eyes. Conversely, using a blue light filter did not offer any benefits.