To Assess the Prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome in Students of Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana

BACKGROUND Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) also referred to as Digital Eye Strain, describes a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet or cell phone usage. Ever since the advent of the COVID pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the amount of time spent in front of the screen, be it for online classes or working from home. We wanted to assess the prevalence of computer vision syndrome among medical, dental, nursing and physiotherapy students of Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. METHODS This was a prospective study conducted for one month among students aged 18-22 years. A total of 75 students were randomly selected from the four colleges namely Christian Medical College, Christian Dental College, College of Physiotherapy and College of Nursing, Ludhiana. The questionnaire was filled and the responses were noted. The responses were then compared to the ocular surface disease index (OSDI). The students were divided into 4 groups namely No / Mild / Moderate and Severe disease. The students belonging to the groups mild, moderate and severe disease were sent to the Department of Ophthalmology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana for evaluation and further management of CVS. RESULTS The study showed that the prevalence of CVS was 48 %, 34.7 %, 12 % and 5.3 % for no disease, mild disease, moderate disease, and severe disease respectively. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of CVS in our study was found to be 52.0%.