Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part A (2025)

Digital smart devices and ophthalmic health among medical students in Baghdad

Author(s):

Maha A Al-Nuaimi and Noor Qusay

Abstract:

Background: While Digital smart devices have become a requisite engine for a great wealth of information, services, and communication, the improper and excessive use of smart devices can affect ocular health negatively. The influence on ocular health is predominantly relevant to medical students, who regularly depend heavily on these devices for their academic purposes. 
Objective: To identify the prevalence of smart device over usage, among a sample of medical students in Al-Mustansiriyah University. And to highlight its drawbacks on their ocular health with respect to visual acuity and certain eye problems.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January through February 2024. A Convenient sample of 500 students was chosen from three medical colleges of Al-Mustansiriyah University. A self-administered structured questionnaire form was used for data collection.
Results: More than 75% of our sample spends 4 hours a day on digital devices. Above one-half of them had various refractory errors, and the prevalence was slightly higher in males. Myopia was the highest type (33.2%). A higher significant proportion of students with myopia had a negative family history of visual acuity (34.4%, p-value=0.001). Fifty-three percent of the sample students, their refractory errors, started at least 2 years of excessive usage of smart devices. The double, blurred vision, dryness, itching, and eye redness were common ophthalmic problems. The study concluded that extensive screen time is a risk factor for various refractory errors and other ophthalmic symptoms among medical students. And suggesting that the visual acuity errors are a complex interaction of genetic predisposition with extrinsic environmental influences. That recommended furthermore inclusive prospective studies to prove that.
 

Pages: 15-19  |  28 Views  8 Downloads



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How to cite this article:
Maha A Al-Nuaimi and Noor Qusay. Digital smart devices and ophthalmic health among medical students in Baghdad. Int. J. Adv. Community Med. 2025;8(1):15-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/comed.2025.v8.i1.A.365