Young people complaining about their eyes with technology

From CBS Miami

MIAMI – Your computer and smart phone may be to blame for your dry or itchy eyes. Eye doctors say thanks to technology, what used to be a problem for the old, is now becoming an epidemic among the young.

Paulina Tran suffers from dry eye.

For medical student Paulina Tran, computers and smart phones are a part of her everyday life.

“I am staring at my laptop or my iPad or iPhone almost all day long,” said Tran.

And six months ago, her eyes started paying the price.

“I just started getting this dryness in my eyes, almost as if there’s sandpaper,” said Tran. “The burning sensation just became too much to handle.”

An estimated 3.2 million women and 1.7 million men over the age of 50 suffer from dry eye symptoms each year, and now ophthalmologists say they are seeing a new generation of younger patients walk through their office doors.

“In the past, 90 percent of our patients were over the age of 50 with dry eye symptoms,” said Dr. Gregg Feinerman. “Now, 50 percent of our patients are 20 to 30 years old.”

Experts say these new dry eye cases are not due to eye disease, but rather addiction to technology.

Read the full article from CBS Miami.