Factors influencing on dry eye symptoms of university students using smartphone

Abstract

This study is a descriptive study to investigate relevance of dry eye symptoms and physical symptoms of university students using smartphones and to identify the factors affecting dry eye symptoms. We collected data from university students in C province of Korea on March 3–29, 2016. They responded questionnaires of general characteristics, physical symptoms, and eye dry symptoms. 315 questionnaires were collected and 310 questionnaires were analyzed except for the incomplete one. Data were analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe test, Descriptive analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. The participants’ dry eye symptoms according to general characteristics showed statistically significant differences in gender (t=-3.306, p=.001), whether to wear contact lenses (t=-3.386, p=.001), smartphone use time (F=5.133, p=.002), and computer use time (F=5.137, p=.002). We were found that 68 (21.9%) were normal, 80 (25.8%) were mild, 58 (18.7%) were moderate and 104 (33.5%) were severe, and that 78.1% of 310 students had dry eye. And OSDI (Ocular Surface Disease Index) showed a significant correlation with turtle neck syndrome (r=.343, p<.001), wrist tunnel syndrome(r=.252, p<.001), and eye fatigue(r=.681, p<.001), and OSDI was significantly affected by eye fatigue (β=.668, t=16.042, p<.001), and computer use time (β=.111, t=2.656, p=.008), these variables explained 47.2% of OSDI among university students. It is necessary a program that will reduce the unnecessary computer use time and make the students interested in the importance of proper use of smartphone to reduce eye fatigue.