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Purpose The purpose of this study is to observe pattern of digital device use and the various ocular, visual and systemic symptoms associated with them during the lockdown period of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods Two hundred and thirty-three volunteers were included in web-based open e-survey. The survey was designed on the 'Survey Monkey' website and distributed through social media platform. The information was collected regarding hours and numbers of digital devices along with numbers of digital activities carried out during the pandemic. A pretested symptom questionnaire was also included regarding ocular, visual and systemic symptoms before and during lockdown. The statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package of Social Science software. Results During the pandemic, most of the respondents were engaged in more than two digital activities (73.81%) over more than two digital devices (48.50%) for more than six days (65.66%). Maximum respondents were mobile users (97.85%) spending major time on social media (89.70%). Symptoms including watering eyes (P = 0.000), dry eyes (P = 0.000), shoulder pain (P = 0.020), back pain (P = 0.003) and headache (P = 0.043) showed positive correlation with hours of digital device use per day during lockdown, while itching eyes (P = 0.036) and pain behind eyes (P = 0.025) were the major symptoms in those engaged in a greater number of digital activities. Moreover, red eyes (P = 0.040) were more prominent in respondents using multiple devices for a greater number of hours. Conclusion A big jump in digital activities on multiple digital devices was seen during lockdown which are more prone to ocular symptoms. Acceleration of ocular and systemic symptoms was particular with rise in time spending on digital devices.

Background Trends in the prevalence rates of allergic symptoms in children have been discussed extensively, but it remains uncertain which symptoms increase or decrease over time owing to the lack of large-scale long-term consecutive cross-sectional studies performed on a representative population of children. Objective To clarify the trends in the prevalence rates of allergic symptoms in Japanese children. Methods Total population questionnaire surveys were conducted 15 times from 1975 to 2006 for all children attending public elementary schools in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, with the number of subjects ranging from 460,000 to 900,000. Parents of the children completed the questionnaire about allergic symptoms and other symptoms, including wheeze, physician-diagnosed atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, and itching eyes. Results Response rates were consistently over 90%. The prevalence of wheezing was constant until 1983, then increased from 1983 until 1993, then stabilized at about 4.4%. The lifetime prevalence of atopic dermatitis increased to 24% by 1993, and then decreased. The prevalence of rhinitis increased to 25% by 2003, whereas the prevalence of non-seasonal symptoms plateaued from 1993 on at 11% and vernal symptoms increased. The prevalence of itching eyes continued to increase to 21% in 2006, and vernal symptoms increased sharply. Conclusions In Osaka Prefecture, Japan, the turning point when the prevalence of wheezing in schoolchildren had begun to increase was 1983. And the turning point when the increase in the prevalence of wheezing, atopic dermatitis, and non-seasonal allergic rhinitis turned to decrease or constant was 1993. The prevalence of rhinitis and itching eyes in spring was still increasing in 2006.

Ocular discomfort (e.g. burning, dry and itching eyes) is among top 2 symptoms in office environments. The ophthalmological explanation is aqueous-deficient dry eye and evaporative dry eye and exposure to allergens, while indoor air pollutants causing chemesthesis generally is the rationale of the indoor environmental community. Review of salient environmental, occupational, and personal risk factors, that alter the precorneal tear film (PTF), reveals at least three mechanisms resulting in ocular discomfort. First, the PTF structure is altered by a physical process that increases the emission rate of aqua loss resulting in hyperosmolarity, gland dysfunctions, and associated discomfort. Second, the structural composition of the outermost lipid layer of the PTF is altered by aggressive aerosols and combustion products, both indoors and outdoors, that facilitate loss of aqua, and possibly chemesthesis. Third, strong sensory irritating pollutants cause chemesthesis by trigeminal stimulation. In general, organic and inorganic indoor air pollutant concentrations are too low causing chemesthesis, but the odor may cause reported discomfort. The total risk of ocular discomfort is exacerbated by physical alteration of the PTF by visual tasking and climate conditions (low humidity, high temperature, and draft); further, personal factors like age, gender and use of certain medication also influence the overall stability of the PTF.

OBJECTIVE: In a drug monitoring study, the efficacy and safety of Adhatoda vasica was studied on patients ages 12 to 80 with dust mite allergies. METHODS: The drug monitoring study (DMS) was performed with 103 patients suffering from symptoms of dust mite allergy (at least 4 of the following symptoms: runny nose, congested nose, sneezing, red eyes, itching eyes, watery eyes, coughing or difficulty breathing). The patient population was composed of 35 children over the age of 12 and 68 adults. The patients took, every hour or half hour up to 12 times daily, 10 drops (maximum 120 drops per day) of the investigational product, over a period of 7-9 days. To evaluate the efficacy, the decrease in allergy symptoms was assessed by means of a scaled evaluation by the physicians, as well as by a global evaluation of the efficacy by the physicians and the patients. Safety was estimated by the occurrence of adverse events, as well as by a global evaluation by the physicians and patients. RESULTS: Upon completion of the DMS, 83,5 % of the total group, 74,3 % of the children’s group, and 88,2 % of the adult group showed an improvement in dust mite allergy symptoms. Global evaluation of the efficacy by the physicians and the patients was 72 and 77 % respectively an assessment of "very good” to "satisfactory”. The global evaluation of the safety was rated 99 % by the physicians and 96 % by the patients "very good” or "good”. During the treatment period, 6 adverse events (AE) occurred. None of these AEs was classified as an adverse drug reaction.

Sick-building syndrome (SBS) symptoms associated with indoor air volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in new or newly remodeled houses have been increasingly highlighted, and are known as “sick house syndrome” in Japan. In the course of the investigation of SBS patients, we found two sensitive patients who complained of severe symptoms and had elevated serum levels of p-dichlorobenzene and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol. One patient was a housewife, who complained of various symptoms such as headache, itching eyes, nasal irritation, and night sweats and had a high serum level of p-dichlorobenzene (25.4 ng/ml). She showed some improvement of symptoms in association with the gradual decrease in p-dichlorobenzene concentrations in both her bedroom and her serum. The other patient was a female professor who had experienced mainly respiratory symptoms, such as nonproductive cough, throat irritation, etc. when she entered her office, classrooms, and a faculty meeting room in a university building. Her serum 2-ethyl-1-hexanol concentration was 4.6 ng/ml, which was more than 7.7-fold higher than that in four other patients with other onsets. The elevation of her serum 2-ethyl-1-hexanol level was assumed to be due to daily exposure in the university building.

Fuel wood smoke is known to be associated with a number of ocular diseases such as cataract, pterygium and dry eye syndrome amongst others. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 290 kitchen staff in senior secondary schools in the Kumasi metropolis to identify the type of fuel and cooking stoves used and the ocular pathologies affecting them. Ocular examinations were performed on the kitchen staff. The study included administration of questionnaire, clinical and ocular history taking, visual acuity measurements, external eye examination, ophthalmoscopy, and Schirmer’s tear function test. The study revealed that 22.1% of the respondents had worked in the kitchens for a period of over twenty years. The major ocular complaints found amongst the 290 respondents were itching eyes (50.3%) and excessive tearing (40.3%). Majority (75.2%) of the kitchen staff were suffering from one or more eye diseases. The commonest ocular diseases were dry eyes (46.6%) pterygium (31.1%) and corneal ulcer (8.3%). All (100%) of the schools used firewood as their primary source of fuel. Most (76.9%) of the schools however used Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to cook certain kinds of meals. Ventilation was poor in 53.9% of the schools visited. Very smoky kitchens were seen in 84.6% of the schools. In conclusion, it was observed that the Kitchen staff of Senior High Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis are at high risk of developing eye diseases that may be attributed to the working environment.