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The Occupational Health Implications of Dry Eye Disease in Video Game Development

Vision Science Academy

K. Karunya, B.Optom.

M. Optometry Student, Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, Salem, India.

 

In the digital world, video game developers dedicate countless hours to creating an engaging experience, yet this intense screen time poses health risks, particularly the prevalence of dry eye syndrome. Video game developers, identified as Major Group 2: Professional by the ISCO-08, have a greater risk of dry eye symptoms due to their screen time and sedentary work habits, prompting a discussion on how their routines affect eye health and the actions they should take to protect their eyesight.

Dry eye disease

Dry eye disease is a tough condition that affects the surface of the eye by insufficient tear production or poor tear quality, inadequate lubrication, and moisture on the surface of the eye, and it causes discomfort, dryness, and irritation of the eye. (1)

Causes and symptoms of dry eye

The dry eye caused by reducing tear production, excessive tear evaporation, lifestyle factors and medical conditions such as reduction of tear production we see in the aging patient, Sjogren syndrome and diabetics, patients and excessive tear evaporation may occur in dry environment (low humidity), and prolonged computer user (reduced blinking), contact lens wear, and other lifestyle conditions of smoking, alcohol consumption, inadequate sleep. (2)

Symptoms of dry eye patients include dryness or grittiness in the eyes, burning sensation, redness or inflammation, blurred vision, eye fatigue, eye pain, sensitivity to light, mild eye discomfort in severe cases, they may have an increased risk of eye infection, difficulty keeping eyes open.

Video game developer

Video game developer is a professional responsible for game designing and development, coding and programming, graphics and animation creation, creating and testing game video. (3) The main video game developer has the most specific eye-related tasks, like focusing attention on coding, and graphic game design. Other tasks, visual details, colour perception and depth perception. Prolonged screen time and sedentary work may cause dry eyes in video game developers, and they also experience dry eye symptoms, including blurred vision, eye fatigue, and irritation. (4)

Current Solution

Here, a regular eye examination may detect the dry eye disease early, also suggest artificial tear drops to lubricate eyes and reduce dryness, and modify the workplace, adjustable monitor arms and proper illumination may reduce the glare and reflection of the person. Encourage regular breaks to rest eyes and promote blinking exercise to help stimulate tear production. (5,6) Preventive measures such as oral intake of Omega-3 fatty acid may improve tear quality and stability. (7) Implement blue light filtering software to reduce eye strain, and set the automated reminder time to promote the regular breaks and eye exercises

Conclusion

This study highlights a significant correlation between dry eye syndrome and video game developers. Prolonged screen time, sedentary work habit, and intense visual focus contribute to the high prevalence of dry eye syndrome. Developers must prioritise eye care, follow proper eye health guidelines, and adopt strategies to reduce dry eye risk such as regular breaks, eye exercises, and proper screen settings.

 

References:

  1. Ozcura, F., Aydin, S., & Helvaci, M. R. (2007). Ocular surface disease index for the diagnosis of dry eye syndrome. Ocular immunology and inflammation, 15(5), 389–393.
  2. Stapleton, F., Alves, M., Bunya, V. Y., Jalbert, I., Lekhanont, K., Malet, F., Na, K. S., Schaumberg, D., Uchino, M., Vehof, J., Viso, E., Vitale, S., & Jones, L. (2017). TFOS DEWS II Epidemiology Report. The ocular surface, 15(3), 334–365.
  3. Michael A Davis An Overview of Environmental Themes in the Video Game Industry. Geographical Bulletin 63 (2), 2022
  4. Alex Muntz et al. Extended screen time and dry eye in youth Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2022 Oct.
  5. Dong Ju Kim, Chi-Yeon Lim, Namyi Gu, Choul Yong ParkKorean Journal of Ophthalmology 31 (5), 388-393, Visual fatigue induced by viewing a tablet computer with a high-resolution display
  6. Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, Scott Schachter, Bridgitte Shen Lee, Jaclyn Garlich, William Trattler Clinical Ophthalmology,The relationship between dry eye disease and digital screen use 3811-3820, 2021
  7. James S Wolffsohn, Gareth Lingham, Laura E Downie, Byki Huntjens, Takenori Inomata, Saleel Jivraj, Emmanuel Kobia-Acquah, Alex Muntz, Karim Mohamed-Noriega, Sotiris Plainis, Michael Read, Rony R Sayegh, Sumeer Singh, Tor P Utheim, Jennifer P Craig TFOS lifestyle: Impact of the digital environment on The ocular surface 28, 213-252, 2023
  8. Bjørnar Kamøy et al.Video display terminal use and dry eye: preventive measures and future perspectives Acta Ophthalmol. 2022 Nov.
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