Eye health risks associated with the use of electronic devices and awareness of youth

Aim of the study
To investigate the awareness of schoolchildren and students about the risks of lack of hygienic skills of using electronic devices (ED) for the visual system and eye symptoms.

Material and methods
Quantitative indicators were calculated for assessing the impact of risk factors on the state of visual health of 768 schoolchildren and students from Russia and Belarus.

Results
The majority of respondents adequately assessed the risk of exposure to behavioral factors for health and eyesight. The majority of respondents rated their health as “good”, a quarter of them as “satisfactory”. Among respondents, vision was rated as “excellent” by 49 (24.5%) and 147 (25.9%), “good” by 53 (26.5%) and 128 (22.5%), “satisfactory” by 36 (18.0%) and 152 (26.8%), “poor” by 62 (31.0%) and 141 (24.8%) of schoolchildren and students, respectively. The main sources of information about the problem of the organs of vision for respondents are the Internet (80%), “parents” (60%), “doctors” (43.0% and 61.8%), “teacher” (36.0% and 61.4%).

Conclusions
Despite a fairly high level of knowledge about the negative impact on vision of irrational work with gadgets, the temptation to use them in adverse visual conditions does not decrease. In the group of schoolchildren, the risk indicator for health and eyesight is more pronounced: a careless attitude to their own health compared to students. University teachers should take into account the fact that students consider the opinion of teachers authoritative for the formation of health-saving competencies of youth.