EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FINDINGS

• The prevalence of Dry Eye Disease (DED) seems to be approximately doubled in heavy screen users compared to the general population(1)
• The average prevalence of DED among screen workers is higher (50%) than the prevalence in the general population(2)
• Heavy smartphone use in children (over 3 hours per day) can cause DED with punctate epithelial erosions. After 4 weeks without a smartphone, the signs and symptoms disappear(3)
• In middle school children, a correlation was shown between symptoms and objective signs of dry eye, and worsening of clinical signs and time spent in front of a computer(4) Indeed, 25% of middle school children reported ocular fatigue as soon as 30 minutes of screen exposure and it rises to 55.8% in the group exposed between 1-9 hours, to 76.2% between 10-19 hours, to 85.7% for 20 hours and more(4)
• In a recent review, as little as 1-2 hours a day of visual display terminals use was found to be associated with DED(5)

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