Beyond the screen: University Educators share how digital eye strain affects their work and daily life
image:
Proposed coping framework for digital eye strain among educators, showing the relationship among stressors, appraisal, coping mechanisms, institutional support, and work-related outcomes.
view moreCredit: Alex S. Borromeo
Digital technology has become central to university teaching, but long hours of screen use can come at a cost. In a new qualitative study published in Qualitative Research in Medicine & Healthcare, Alex S. Borromeo from the College of Nursing at Bulacan State University explored how university educators in the Philippines experience and cope with digital eye strain.
The study involved nine faculty members with moderate-to-severe digital eye strain. Through semi-structured interviews, participants described symptoms such as eye fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, and discomfort that affected both their work and home life.
Four major themes were identified: digital health and resilience, workstation and environmental ergonomics, work-life integration, and health services, policy supports, and system-level enablers. The findings show that while digital tools help educators stay productive, they can also contribute to physical strain and stress related to heavy technology use.
The study also presents a proposed coping framework showing how digital eye strain is shaped not only by symptoms and individual coping, but also by workplace conditions, institutional support, and broader policy context.
"Solutions should go beyond individual coping," says Borromeo. "Universities may need to strengthen ergonomic assessments, structured screen-break practices, eye health programs, and digital wellness education. These changes could help build safer and more sustainable academic work environments."
###
Contact the author: Alex S. Borromeo, Bulacan State University, Philippines, alex.borromeo@bulsu.edu.ph
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
Journal
Qualitative Research in Medicine & Healthcare
Method of Research
Content analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Beyond the Screen: Lived Experiences and Coping Strategies of Educators Facing Digital Eye Strain in a Philippine University
No comments:
Post a Comment