ArticleThe ocular surface2021
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eye strain and dry eye symptoms.
Article in The ocular surface, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of dry eye disease among children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open ophthalmology · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence of dry eye and Meibomian gland dysfunction in Central and South America: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC ophthalmology · 2024Pooled it
- TFOS lifestyle: Impact of societal challenges on the ocular surface.The ocular surface · 2023Pooled it
- Advances in Dry Eye Disease Examination Techniques.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Omega-3 fatty acids supplements for dry eye - Are they effective or ineffective?Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2023Trial
- Oral Intake ofBiomedicines · 2025Article
- Review
- Prevalence of dry eye disease symptoms, associated factors and impact on quality of life among medical students during the pandemic.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Dry Eye Disease: An Update on Changing Perspectives on Causes, Diagnosis, and Management.Cureus · 2024Review
- Evaluation of dry eye disease symptomatology and mental health status among patients with different COVID-19 statuses.International journal of ophthalmology · 2024Article
- Changes in the ocular surface microbiome of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Prolonged facemask wearing among hospital workers and dry eye - a mixed-methods study.BMC ophthalmology · 2023Article
- Covid-19 and its relation to the human eye: transmission, infection, and ocular manifestations.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2023Review
- An Online Questionnaire-Based Survey of 1076 Individuals in Poland to Identify the Prevalence of Ophthalmic Symptoms in Autumn 2022.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2023Article
- Computer-related ophthalmic syndrome in teachers of a University of the Province of Cañete.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2023Article
- Improving Visual Comfort during Computer Gaming with Preservative-Free Hyaluronic Acid Artificial Tears Added to Ergophthalmological Measures.Vision (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Hydrogel-Based Biosensors.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Article
- Limiting plastic waste in dry eye practice for environmental sustainability.The ocular surface · 2022Article
- Sleep Loss Causes Dysfunction in Murine Extraorbital Lacrimal Glands.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeAmong adult individuals with dry eye, assess the self-reported impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) dry eye-related visual function, (2) reading efficiency, and (3) dry eye treatments used.
methodsIn June-July 2020, we conducted an online survey of adults with dry eye who spent at least somewhat more time at home during the pandemic than before. Consistent with TFOS DEWS II guidelines, we categorized respondents into mild, moderate, or severe dry eye based on treatment usage.
resultsWe included 388 respondents: 97 respondents (25%) with mild, 80 (21%) with moderate, and 211 (54%) with severe dry eye. In all three groups, screen/reading time generally doubled during the pandemic. Reduced work-related efficiency was noted by a considerable proportion of respondents (moderate dry eye: 51%, mild: 39%, and severe: 38%). Compared with respondents with mild dry eye, respondents with moderate dry eye were considerably more likely to note worsening symptoms: eye pain (OR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.22-5.41), headache from eye symptoms (OR = 2.34, 95% CI 1.11-4.90), and difficulty concentrating because of eye symptoms (OR = 2.79, 95% CI 1.37-5.66). Respondents with moderate dry eye with Sjögren's syndrome were most likely to note these. Respondents with severe dry eye were more likely than respondents with mild dry eye to report losing access to dry eye-related treatments (OR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.36-5.03).
conclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic-related eye strain may be impacting symptoms, performance, and ultimately employment, especially for those with moderate dry eye. This may be compounding the already-high dry eye-related societal burden.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.