Ocular surface changes during COVID-19 pandemic among university faculty members with dry eye disease in northern India: A longitudinal study

Abstract

ObjectiveThe pandemic has brought a paradigm shift in pedagogical modalities throughout the world, with a resultant increase in screen time and ultra-violet light exposure among both students and teachers. The current study was conducted to analyze ocular surface changes in university faculty members with dry eye disease (DED) during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among university faculty members of a medical university in India. An online questionnaire was sent via social media from December 2020 to January 2021, which consisted of questions on demographic details, DED symptoms and use of visual display terminals. All those participants who had DED based on Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score were followed-up after one month when the pandemic had subsided. ResultsOut of the 150 faculty members in the university, 130 completed the survey (response rate 86.7%). The number of participants with symptomatic DED based on OSDI score was 111 (85.3%). All these participants showed a statistically significant change in subjective measurement of DED symptoms after one month, using OSDI questionnaire. ConclusionDED symptoms increased during the pandemic and there was a statistically significant change in the OSDI scores suggestive of ocular surface damage and a positive relationship with increased digital screen time. The finding has implications as targeted interventions need to be undertaken to mitigate the effects of increased screentime, especially among populations with more duration of near work using digital screens.