Addressing Digital Eye Strain: A Narrative Review of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Approaches
Abstract
Background: Digital eye strain (DES) also called as Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a prevalent issue among individuals who spend extended hours on digital screens, such as office workers, students, and gamers., characterized by symptoms including eye fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, eye strain and neck or shoulder pain. With the increasing reliance on digital devices in daily life, it has emerged as a widespread occupational health concern.
Objective: To undertake a narrative review of studies on CAM approaches for mitigating the symptoms of digital eye strain.
Methods: Keyword searches of PubMed, Google Scholar and PubMed Central databases. Manual searches of other relevant reference of articles.
Conclusion: The present review provides evidence supporting the potential use of CAM approaches in managing the digital eye strain.
Downloads
References
Kaur K, Gurnani B, Nayak S, Deori N, Kaur S, Jethani J, et al. Digital eye strain - a comprehensive review. Ophthalmol Ther. 2022 Oct 1;11(5):1655-80.
Auffret É, Gomart G, Bourcier T, Gaucher D, Speeg-Schatz C, Sauer A. Perturbations oculaires secondaires à l’utilisation de supports numériques: Symptômes, prévalence, physiopathologie et prise en charge. J Fr Ophtalmol. 2021 Dec 1;44(10):1605-10.
Rosenfield M. Computer vision syndrome (a.k.a. digital eye strain). Optom Pract. 17(1):1-10.
Wolffsohn JS, Lingham G, Downie LE, Huntjens B, Inomata T, Jivraj S, et al. TFOS lifestyle: Impact of the digital environment on the ocular surface. Ocul Surf. 2023 Apr 1;28:213-52.
Bhattacharya S, Heidler P, Saleem SM, Marzo RR. Let there be light—Digital eye strain (DES) in children as a shadow pandemic in the era of COVID-19: A mini review. Front Public Health. 2022 Aug 11;10:945082.
Singh S, McGuinness MB, Anderson AJ, Downie LE. Interventions for the management of computer vision syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2022 Oct 1;129(10):1192-215.
Colley M, Wanner B, Rädler M, Rötzer M, Frommel J, Hirzle T, et al. Effects of a gaze-based 2D platform game on user enjoyment, perceived competence, and digital eye strain. In: Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems [Internet]. New York: ACM; 2024 [cited 2025 Jan 13]. p. 1-14. Available from: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3641909.
Coles-Brennan C, Sulley A, Young G. Management of digital eye strain. Clin Exp Optom. 2019 Jan 1;102(1):18-29.
NADU T. Beliefs and practices towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among residents of an urban area in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu: A cross-sectional study [Internet]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile.
Boopalan D, Kumar AP, Vanamoorthy MK, Vijayakumar V, Ravi P, Kasi M, et al. Yoga therapy for eye health and disease: A scoping review. Eur J Integr Med. 2025 Jan 1;73:102427.
Pavel IA, Bogdanici CM, Donica VC, Anton N, Savu B, Chiriac CP, et al. Computer vision syndrome: An ophthalmic pathology of the modern era. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Feb 20;59(2):412.
Anbesu EW, Lema AK. Prevalence of computer vision syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2023 Jan 31;13(1):1801.
Kaur K, Gurnani B, Nayak S, Deori N, Kaur S, Jethani J, et al. Digital Eye Strain- A Comprehensive Review. Ophthalmol Ther. 2022 Oct 1;11(5):1655–80.
Alabdulkader B. Effect of digital device use during COVID-19 on digital eye strain. Clin Exp Optom. 2021 Aug 18;104(6):698-704.
Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007 [Internet]. Available from: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/5266.
A pilot study to assess the efficacy of mud eye pack in asthenopia [Internet]. ResearchGate. 2024 Oct 22 [cited 2025 Jan 16]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325943517_A_PILOT_STUDY_TO_ASSESS_THE_EFFICACY_OF_MUD_EYE_PACK_IN_ASTHENOPIA.
Park CY, Gu N, Lim CY, Oh JH, Chang M, Kim M, et al. The effect of Vaccinium uliginosum extract on tablet computer-induced asthenopia: A randomized placebo-controlled study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2016 Aug 18;16:296.
Bhargava R, Kumar P, Phogat H, Kaur A, Kumar M. Oral omega-3 fatty acids treatment in computer vision syndrome-related dry eye. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2015 Jun 1;38(3):206-10.
Saoji AA, Swathi PS, Bhat R, Bansal B, Mohanty S, Raj Lakshmi RKR. Exploring the effect of Trataka (a yogic cleansing technique) and cold eye pack on eye strain during COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized three-arm trial. J Integr Complement Med. 2024 Apr;30(4):345-51.
Zahid I, Amjad F, Riaz MU, Hussain R, Tariq H, Altaf F, et al. Effect of eye exercises on vision-related symptoms in young adults: Eye exercises and vision symptoms in young adults. J Health Rehabil Res [Internet]. 2024 Sep 27 [cited 2025 Jan 18];4(3). Available from: https://jhrlmc.com/index.php/home/article/view/1555.

Copyright (c) 2025 Meghana M, Vineetha A N, Prajna Shetty, Vanitha S Shetty

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences (JAIMS) retains the copyright of the contents of this journal but grant the readers the right to use the contents with terms and conditions under a creative common attribution licenses 4 of Attribution, Share Alike and Non-commercial type (CC BY-NC-SA) that allows copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and make derivative works based on it only for non-commercial purposes.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.