Parent's Awareness of Preventive Measures for Digital Eye Strain Syndrome among Saudi Students after 1 Year of Online Studies - A Survey.

Purpose: The digital eye strain (DES) is of public health magnitude in students undertaking online studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DES prevention strategies will be effective if all stakeholders, including parents, work together. We present an awareness level of preventive measures among parents of students studying online for 1 year.

Methods: This web-based survey was held in December 2021. Parents of Saudi students in the Qassim region responded to 15 questions about the preventive measures for DES. The responses were summed up and graded into very poor, poor, good, and excellent. The level of awareness was associated with determinants.

Results: The awareness was excellent in 566 of 704 (80.4%) (95% confidence interval 77.5-83.3) participants. Parents had poor awareness about the importance of the 20-20-20 rule (43.8%), frequent blinking (56.7%), using digital devices beyond studies (57.4%), using eye lubricants while using a digital device (56%), and using devices at night in lying position (69.6%). Excellent awareness was significantly associated with primary-level students (P = 0.0004), those having ophthalmic consultation in the past (P = 0.02), and students with DES (P = 0.0006). Parents with excellent awareness were not satisfied with online studies of their wards (P = 0.001).

Conclusion: Awareness of parents about preventive measures to address DES in students is relatively high. However, health promotion is recommended, especially focusing on the weak areas to improve DES and its impact on students.