Digital Eye Strain Among Radiologists: A Survey-based Cross-sectional Study

Omran Al Dandan; Ali Hassan; Malak Al Shammari; Mahdi Al Jawad; Hind S Alsaif; Khalid Alarfaj

doi:10.1016/j.acra.2020.05.006

Digital Eye Strain Among Radiologists: A Survey-based Cross-sectional Study

Acad Radiol. 2021 Aug;28(8):1142-1148. doi: 10.1016/j.acra.2020.05.006. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Authors

Omran Al Dandan¹, Ali Hassan², Malak Al Shammari³, Mahdi Al Jawad², Hind S Alsaif², Khalid Alarfaj⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: odandan@iau.edu.sa.
² Department of Radiology, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Family and Community Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 32532637
DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2020.05.006

Abstract

Background: Computers have become a fundamental part of clinical radiology departments. Radiologists tend to spend long hours in front of computers, reading and analyzing medical images. This prolonged use of computers is associated with digital eye strain. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of digital eye strain among radiologists and determine its contributory factors.

Methods: An online survey was sent to radiologists practicing in hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The survey addressed demographic information, workload and workstation environment, personal eye care, and evaluation of digital eye strain symptoms as well as the strategies employed to reduce these symptoms. Results were analyzed descriptively using Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses.

Results: The survey was completed by 198 participants (111 men and 87 women), including residents (40.9%), senior registrars (27.3%), and consultants (27.3%). Most participants (71.2%) were aged below 40 years. Most participants tend to spend 7-9 hours daily reviewing medical images. Overall, 50 participants (25.3%) take a break from work once daily only. A total of 53 participants (26.8%) reported undergoing an eye examination within the past year and 100 participants (50.5%) reported experiencing digital eye strain. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.6-10.0) and the practice of taking breaks once a day (OR = 15.1; 95% CI: 2.4-94.1) or twice a day (OR = 5.5; 95% CI: 1.1-28.4) only were associated with higher rates of digital eye strain symptoms.

Conclusion: Digital eye strain is a prevalent condition among radiologists regardless of their subspecialty. It is more commonly seen among radiology residents. Being a female and not taking frequent breaks were associated with higher rates of digital eye strain.

Keywords: Digital eye strain; PACS; Radiology.

MeSH terms

Aged
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Radiologists*
Radiology*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Workload