Digital visual syndrome in patients under 35 years of age

Abstract

Introduction: Digital visual syndrome or digital visual fatigue is a disease caused by the ocular fatigue provoked by spending much time in front of a screen.

Objective: To diagnose the digital visual syndrome in patients under 35 years assisted in the refraction service.

Methods: A prospective descriptive and cross-sectional study of patients assisted in the refraction service of the Specialties Polyclinic in Saturnino Lora Teaching Clinical Surgical Provincial Hospital, was carried out from April to June, 2022.

Results: There was a prevalence of patients aged 26 and 35 and female sex; the most frequent symptoms were visual fatigue, ocular burning, dry eye sensation, closely blurred vision, red eye and headache after visual effort. The most used digital devices were the cellphone and the computer with a time of use from one to three hours, with emphasis in the last one with more than 4 hours. The refractive defects constituted the main cause of visual limitations. The patients with digital visual syndrome and some type of ametropia without correction were those with more symptoms, followed by the patients inadequately corrected.

Conclusions: This syndrome affects the youngest population to a great extent. The appropriate interrogation and the incorporation of correct procedures in the daily optometric study allowed the diagnosis of such a syndrome in the assisted patients and the pertinent optic correction.