The relationship between problematic smartphone use and dry eye disease symptom severity among Qatar University students: A cross-sectional study

Objective: To investigate the association between problematic smartphone use (PSPU) and dry eye disease (DED) symptom severity among university students. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in February - March 2021 among Qatar University students. The Smartphone Addiction Scale assessed PSPU, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index measured DED symptom severity. Bivariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association. Results: A total of 157 students participated in the study (mean age: 22.7 years; 74.5% female). Nearly 74% of participants exhibited PSPU. Severe DED symptoms were more common in students with PSPU (27.6%) than in those without (12.2%). After adjusting for confounders, PSPU was associated with 2.29 times the odds of being in a higher DED symptom severity category (95% CI: 1.14, 4.58). For every one-point increase in the PSPU score, the odds of having a more severe category of DED symptoms increased by 4.00% (95% CI: 1.00%, 7.00%). Conclusions: Problematic smartphone use may be linked to greater DED symptom severity among university students. These findings suggest it may be valuable to consider smartphone use habits in clinical assessments and public health initiatives aimed at alleviating the burden of DED in this population.