Impact of an educational intervention using the 20/20/20 rule on Computer Vision Syndrome

• Main Authors: Waleed M. Alghamdi, Saif H Alrasheed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AOSIS 2020-09-01
• Series: African Vision and Eye Health
• Subjects: computer vision syndrome; dry eye; ocular surface integrity; 20/20/20 rule; dry eye questionnaire; tear film break-up time; digital eye strain; ocular discomfort.
• Online Access: https://avehjournal.org/index.php/aveh/article/view/554
• ISSN: 2413-3183; 2410-1516

Background: Global estimates suggest that nearly 60 million people suffer from Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Aim: The goal of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention using the 20/20/20 rule to reduce CVS symptoms. Setting: The study was conducted in the Qassim University eye clinic. Methods: An experiential intervention study was conducted amongst 40 patients with CVS, with their age ranging from 21 to 38 years. The sample was divided into two groups: (1) intervention patients (n = 20), who were given a structured advice booklet about how to reduce CVS symptoms using the 20/20/20 rule, and (2) control (n = 20) with CVS, who were given advice to simply drink more water. Both groups completed two questionnaires, namely, the CVS-Q and Dry Eye Questionnaire-5 (DEQ-5). Dry eye clinical tests were performed. The same procedures were repeated after 20 days to compare the outcomes before and after intervention. Results: The study findings revealed that patients complaining from dry eye symptoms showed significant changes after the educational intervention (pre-intervention: 9.05 ± 4.32; post-intervention: 7.10 ± 3.61) (p = 0.04). The symptoms of CVS were slightly reduced after educational intervention, from 9.00 ± 3.03 to 8.35 ± 1.89 (p = 0.38). However, TBUT showed a significant increase after the educational intervention (pre-intervention: 6.20 ± 2.02 s; post-intervention: 8.55 ± 2.84 s) (p = 0.005). Conclusion: The educational intervention of the 20/20/20 rule induces significant changes in dry eye symptoms and tear film and some limited changes for ocular surface integrity.