None, Dr. Abhinav Agrawal, Dr. Monika Barik

Abstract

Study Design:Cross-sectional Purpose: Dry eye showed an increased incidence during the pandemic situation, which may be due to long hours of exposure to electronic gadgets. We aimed to find the prevalence of dry eye disease among medical students during COVID 19pandemic and prepandemic periods.Methods: This study conducted in a tertiary care institute. A modified Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was used to find the severity and prevalence of dry eye disease.The calculated sample size was 143.Results: Data were collected from 143 medical students; the prevalence of dry eye disease was 41.5 and 55.19 during the prepandemic and pandemic periods, respectively. There was a significant rise in dry eye disease cases during the pandemic. The odds of getting dry eye disease were more during the pandemic.
Conclusion: The lockdown situation during the pandemic forced people to have Prolonged screen time which predisposed to the development of dry eye disease.