OBJECTIVES: In Europe, the number of information and communication technology (ICT) specialists has increased by more than 50% in last decade, whereas computer users have shown an increasing trend. The objective of this review was to estimate the epidemiological burden of eye disorders due to the use of video display terminal (VDT) in EU5.

METHODS: A search strategy was devised to retrieve citations from MEDLINE and Embase via Ovid with limits of 10-year publication timeframe, geography (EU5) and English language. First and second level screenings were conducted by two independent reviewers with conflict resolution by a third reviewer followed by data extractions by a single reviewer.

RESULTS: From 432 retrieved citations, a total of six studies (5 cross sectional and 1 cohort study) were extracted that met the inclusion criteria. Five studies were conducted in Spain and one in Italy. The mean age of patients ranged between 39 and 54 years. The prevalence of computer vision syndrome (CVS) was found to be 44% - 74% having higher association with women, work related exposure, non-neutral neck posture, altered workplace lighting, and VDT exposure. Our literature review also identified positive association of exposure to computer and lens use with risk of CVS as well as myopia progression.

CONCLUSIONS: The increase of VDT is accompanied by a higher frequency of CVS, particularly in women and people spending more time at VDT including work related exposure. With exponentially increasing use of display terminals and work-related computers, the incidence of CVS is expected to rise. Further studies are needed to confirm these epidemiological findings.