Visual health and prolonged use of screens in working-age adults

Introduction: Display screens/visual display terminals are a constant presence in people's daily lives, both in the workplace and at home. Prolonged use of these devices generates symptoms of discomfort, grouped under what is called Computer Vision Syndrome, which affects both work and academic productivity. In addition, they emit blue light, which still plays an enigmatic role in future visual health. For these reasons, it is important to address this issue in order to implement favorable ergonomic conditions that allow for better productivity and reduce the incidence of symptoms. Objectives: the primary objective of this study is analyzing ophthalmological conditions associated with prolonged screen use in working-age adults, and secondary objectives of describing the most common ophthalmological alterations caused by prolonged screen use, describing the mechanisms by which these alterations occur, analyzing the potential for a long-term negative effect, determining how computer vision syndrome impacts work and school productivity, and presenting prevention methods. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional systematic review was conducted based on published studies from the period 2020-2023 on the effects of prolonged use of visual display terminals in working-age adults, and a comparative analysis was also performed among different studies. Results: The search resulted in the selection of 14 studies, where the comparison between them showed an average prevalence of CVS of 65.6% among the working-age adult population, an average exposure of 6.75 hours per day, and partial presence of ergonomic conditions. Conclusion: The prevalence of CVS in working-age adults is considerably high. The associated symptoms are mainly linked to alterations in ocular lubrication and the lack of ergonomic conditions. The blue light emitted by visual display terminals is not enough to cause permanent damage; however, further analysis is necessary due to the unknown potential cumulative toxic effect.