The prevalence of dry eye disease symptoms and its association with screen time in young adults aged 21–30 years

Abstract Purpose To investigate the correlation between dry eye disease (DED) symptoms and academic performance in young adults aged 21–30 years, as well as to determine the relationship between screen time and DED symptoms. Methods A total of 454 young adults, between 21 and 30 years of age, were initially enrolled in the study. Data collected included age, sex, grade point average (GPA), hours of contact lens wear, degree of compliance with the 20–20–20 rule, response to the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, as well as screen time for studying and engaging in social media activities. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between DED symptoms and academic performance, screen time and contact lens usage. Results A total of 445 participants were included in the analysis, with 99.3% ( n = 442) exhibiting DED symptoms (OSDI ≥13). The mean (standard deviation) OSDI score was 76.91 (17.89). Additionally, only 17.0% of participants adhered to the recommended 20–20–20 rule during screen usage. Mean daily screen time was 9.84 (3.73) h, with 2.97 (2.34) h for social media and 6.93 (3.48) h for study. OSDI scores were significantly correlated with study screen time ( r s = 0.12, p = 0.01) and social media usage ( r s = 0.13, p = 0.01), but not with GPA ( r s = −0.07, p = 0.16) or contact lens daily wearing time ( r s = 0.05, p = 0.43). Conclusions The prevalence of DED symptoms was found to be high amongst young adults. This study revealed a significant association between the duration of screen time and DED symptoms in this population. Prolonged screen exposure, both for academic purposes and social media engagement, was linked with more severe manifestations of DED. Notably, no significant correlation was observed between academic performance and DED symptoms in young adults.