The Correlation Between Mobile Screen Exposure and Children's Ocular Symptoms: A Survey-Based Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65420/sjphrt.v1i2.188Keywords:
Screen exposure, blue-light, eye strain, symptoms, electromagnetic waveAbstract
Background: Due to the widespread use of mobile phones by children, it has become important to look at the effect of screen exposure on the development of ocular health in children. Even though previous research shows that prolonged exposure to screens leads to myopia and digital eye strain, the effect of using a mobile phone needs to be further researched. Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between mobile phone usage and ocular symptoms among children aged 4-12 years. Methodology: The current study was a descriptive study of a cross-sectional design that used a survey form for data collection among 126 participants from Wasit governorate. The survey was used to collect information regarding the demographic profile of the sample, their mobile phone usage profile in terms of hours per day and years of use, and the presence of any ocular symptoms, including eye strain. Analysis was done to find any significant associations. Results: The analysis revealed mainly weak associations between mobile phone exposure and ocular symptoms. Age had a significant association with hours per day and years of exposure, but an inverse association was observed between years of exposure and eye strain. Conclusion: Unlike previous studies, this study only found a very weak association between the use of mobile phones and subjective eye complaints among children. Such results may indicate adaptive behavior on the part of the subjects or bias. However, considering the risk factors that have been found in other studies, moderation in the use of mobile phones is highly recommended.
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