Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent ophthalmological health condition affecting university students. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of DED among medical and nonmedical university students. In addition, another objective was to assess the impact of electronic device exposure on DED symptoms among medical and nonmedical Palestinian university students.

Methods: This was a large multicenter cross-sectional study that was conducted among medical and nonmedical students in the largest five major universities across the West Bank of Palestine. The study was conducted in the period between May 2024 and October 2024. DED symptoms were assessed using the Arabic version of the ocular surface disease index.

Results: A total of 426 students completed the questionnaire (response rate = 93.4%). Of the university students, 259 (60.8) were medical and 167 (39.2) were nonmedical students. The majority of the students (n = 355, 83.3%) used electronic devices. Of the students, 184 (43.2%) used more than one electronic device. The mean number of hours spent using electronic devices per day was 7.7 ± 2.7 h. The mean ocular surface disease index score was 28.9 ± 19.8. Of the students, 334 (78.4%) had DED symptoms of any severity, 77 (18.1%) had mild, 85 (20.0%) had moderate, and 172 (40.4%) had severe DED symptoms. Higher ocular surface disease index scores can be predicted by female sex (p-value = 0.001), consumption of alcohol (p-value = 0.001), having inadequate sleep (p-value < 0.001), using artificial tears (p-value < 0.001), and number of hours spent using electronic devices per day (p-value = 0.007).

Conclusion: Increased exposure time was associated with higher prevalence and severe DED symptoms, indicating a need for preventive measures such as screen breaks and ergonomic solutions. Factors related to contact lens use, inadequate sleep, and family history underscore the multifactorial nature of this condition. Interventions targeting these factors, including educational awareness and accessible eye care, are crucial given the potential negative impact on academic performance and quality of life.

Title

BMC Ophthalmology

Publisher

Biomed central, springer nature

Publisher Country

United States of America

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

1.7

Publication Type

Online only

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