Year: 2026 | Month: March | Volume: 16 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 83-90
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260310
Matched Case Control Study on Association of Excessive Screen Time and Refractive Error Among Children in a Tertiary Hospital of South India
Sharvan Kumar P1, Yashashwi Kumar2, Rakesh Kumar3, Yetnder Singh Patel4
1MBBS Student of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Tamil Nadu, India.
2MBBS Student of Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
3Head and Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Rajshree Medical Research Institute, Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), India.
4Senior Resident, Department of Community Medicine, Rajshree Medical Research Institute, Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), India 243501.
Corresponding Author: Dr. Yetnder Singh Patel
ABSTRACT
Purpose:This study aimed to determine refractive errors among the children attending tertiary care hospital and its association with excessive screen time.
Design:The matched case-control study was conducted among school aged children aged 6 to 18 years.
Methods:A total of 141 cases of any refractive error were selected from the children of 6 to 18 years of age from tertiary medical college in Perambalur district of Tamil Nadu, attending ophthalmology OPD and 141 children attending other OPDs of same hospital were selected as controls. Main outcome variable was refractive error. Exposure variables were screen time exposure, duration of outdoor activities, near work, participation in sports activities and parental myopia.
Results:Mean duration of near work per day that is spent on reading, drawing, handicraft, homework is 128.7+84.27 minutes. Mean duration of screen time per day that is the time spent on television, computers, smart phones, laptops, tabs, television is 147.5+103.7 minutes. Mean duration of duration of outdoor activities per day such as sports, walking, exercise is 44.5+38.2 minutes. Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that increased duration of screen exposure was significantly associated with higher risk of refractive error among children.
Conclusion:The findings of this study indicate that increased screen exposure is significantly associated with refractive error among children. Greater duration of daily screen exposure appears to increase the likelihood of refractive error. It is recommended that parents of young children be encouraged to watch appropriate media content with them in order to facilitate learning and avoid excessive screen exposure.
Key words: Refractive error, Children eye sight, Vision, Myopia