Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42109498›Full record

ArticlePreventive medicine reports2026

The relationship between problematic smartphone use and dry eye disease symptom severity among Qatar University students: A cross-sectional study.

Usra Elshaikh, Diyaa Rachdan, Khaloud Al-Marri, Maha Al-Qashoti, Hissa Al-Zoqari, Alya Naqadan, Raghad Saeed, Hanan F Abdul Rahim, Mujahed Shraim

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Article in Preventive medicine reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Usra ElshaikhDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Diyaa RachdanCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Khaloud Al-MarriDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Maha Al-QashotiDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Hissa Al-ZoqariDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Alya NaqadanDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Raghad SaeedDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Hanan F Abdul RahimDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Mujahed ShraimDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between problematic smartphone use (PSPU) and dry eye disease (DED) symptom severity among university students. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in February - March 2021 among Qatar University students. The Smartphone Addiction Scale assessed PSPU, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index measured DED symptom severity. Bivariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association. Results: A total of 157 students participated in the study (mean age: 22.7 years; 74.5% female). Nearly 74% of participants exhibited PSPU. Severe DED symptoms were more common in students with PSPU (27.6%) than in those without (12.2%). After adjusting for confounders, PSPU was associated with 2.29 times the odds of being in a higher DED symptom severity category (95% CI: 1.14, 4.58). For every one-point increase in the PSPU score, the odds of having a more severe category of DED symptoms increased by 4.00% (95% CI: 1.00%, 7.00%). Conclusions: Problematic smartphone use may be linked to greater DED symptom severity among university students. These findings suggest it may be valuable to consider smartphone use habits in clinical assessments and public health initiatives aimed at alleviating the burden of DED in this population.

Indexed as

Cross-sectional studyDry eye disease symptomsProblematic smartphone useSurveyUniversity students

Identifiers

PMID42109498
PMCPMC13157160

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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.