{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T10:39:57Z","timestamp":1777891197264,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["WOR"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,13]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>BACKGROUND: Many individuals experience visual symptoms associated with near work. The level of discomfort appears to increase with the amount of digital screen use. OBJECTIVE: To study the eye discomfort with near tasks in university students in the pre-COVID period and in the period of confinement due to the pandemic. METHODS: Two independent samples of students, aged between 18 and 35 years, were used to assess symptomatic behaviour with the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) questionnaire. In the pre-COVID period the sample had 342 participants, 64.6% females and in the COVID period 322 students participated, 71.4% females. The study of differences was carried out by the Mann-Whitney U test. The interpretation of the statistical inference was performed for a significance level\u22640.05. RESULTS: There was an increase in the number of symptomatic cases in the COVID period without statistical evidence of differences in the frequency of symptoms reported in the two periods. The dimensions \u201csomatic sensations\u201d and \u201ccognitive performance\u201d were the typology of symptoms that most contributed to visual complaints with near vision. There was a significantly different symptomatic behaviour between genders in the period of confinement (p\u200a=\u200a0.001), worsening in females and improving in males. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that females and males exposed to digital environments, over time, may exhibit different symptomatic behaviour. Our results suggest that boys adapt more quickly than girls. Factors that predispose to these changes, aetiology and potential intervention actions still need further study.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3233\/wor-220172","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,10]],"date-time":"2023-01-10T12:40:32Z","timestamp":1673354432000},"page":"423-431","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Eye discomfort at close work in Portuguese university students: A comparative analysis between the pre-COVID and confinement period"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"75","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5001-3534","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Am\u00e9lia Fernandes","family":"Nunes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Sciences Research Centre (CICS-UBI), Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"},{"name":"Clinical and Experimental Center for Vision Sciences (CCECV),University of Beira Interior, Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"},{"name":"UBIMedical, Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"}]},{"given":"Mara Antunes","family":"Leit\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Experimental Center for Vision Sciences (CCECV),University of Beira Interior, Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ant\u00f3nio Santos","family":"Nunes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Business Sciences (NECE), University of Beira Interior, Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"}]},{"given":"Pedro Louren\u00e7o","family":"Monteiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Sciences Research Centre (CICS-UBI), Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"},{"name":"Clinical and Experimental Center for Vision Sciences (CCECV),University of Beira Interior, Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"},{"name":"UBIMedical, Covilh\u00e3,Portugal"}]}],"member":"179","reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"10.3233\/WOR-220172_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.31887\/DCNS.2020.22.2\/mhoehe","article-title":"Going digital: how technology use may influence human brains and behavior","volume":"22","author":"Hoehe","year":"2020","journal-title":"Dialogues Clin Neurosci"},{"key":"10.3233\/WOR-220172_ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compedu.2018.04.007","article-title":"The use of mobile learning in higher education: A systematic review","volume":"123","author":"Crompton","year":"2018","journal-title":"Computers & Education"},{"key":"10.3233\/WOR-220172_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2016.08.030","article-title":"Problematic smartphone use: A conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology","volume":"207","author":"Elhai","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"issue":"5","key":"10.3233\/WOR-220172_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"375","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1475-1313.2012.00925.x","article-title":"Computer-related visual symptoms in office workers","volume":"32","author":"Portello","year":"2012","journal-title":"Ophthalmic Physiol Opt"},{"key":"10.3233\/WOR-220172_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang J , Li M , Zhu D , Cao Y . 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