Chris Bennett: Time factors into exam stress

Over the last couple of months I have had the privilege of taking part in a couple of discussion forums.

The first was a Johnson & Johnson discussion on the emotional effect of presbyopia (In Focus 27.09.19) while last Wednesday saw a selection of practitioners gathered to discuss Digital Eye Strain (DES) in a Hoya sponsored event.

Both discussions offered great insights into patients and everyday practice, I don’t think it would be unfair to say, both headed in an unexpected and similar direction.

I kicked off the discussion by asking about the levels of knowledge around DES but the discussion escalated. I quickly realised that we wouldn’t be having a simple discussion about the overuse of phones, laptops and tablets. The discussion raised a host of questions about the aetiology of DES: was it refractive, accommodative, dry eye or blink rate related? What binocular vision testing at near was being carried out and what about the role of blue light? What tests were being carried out for eye dominance, the prism being prescribed? Other participants didn’t see any difference between close work on screen or from a book.