Ocular and Visual Discomfort Epidemic Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: A Sample of Medical Students in Bulgaria

Summary The purpose of оur research was to evaluate the effect of remote education on ocular health among medical students during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The students included in the study were 219 in total, all from Medical Universities in Bulgaria. They were asked about their eye health and comfort during the distance-learning semester. They were interviewed anonymously, with an online questionnaire, between April 1-30, 2021. The findings of the study highlighted that digital learning increases screen time, at potentially dangerous for eye health levels. The most common presenting complaints were eye fatigue (83.1%), tearing (epiphora) (58.9%), dry eyes (58.4%), blurred vision (40.2%), photophobia (37.4%), itchiness (34.7%) etc. Regarding the longest uninterrupted time spent working on a computer, 32% of the students reported 1-2 hours without a break, 57.1% - more than 2 hours, and only 3.7% spent less than 20 min before taking a break. As the conclusion of this study, it was observed that distance learning during the pandemic and social isolation adversely affected eye health and eye fatigue among medical students. Increased screen time during online semester causes digital eye strain, which interferes with the quality of life and is an emerging public health issue.