The use of screen-enabled handheld devices has increased exponentially during the last few years among the older adults. Up until now, a general suggestion for preventing symptoms of digital eye strain with large screen use was to address any existing refractive error, including presbyopia. It is unclear whether this advice is of consequence in the case of smaller handheld devices.

The aim of this study was to examine whether correcting presbyopia ameliorates the negative effect on digital screen use, examining handheld devices where these issues are expected to be more acute with presbyopic individuals.

This is a cross-sectional study of 120 consecutive participants who had received correction for presbyopia during the past month and returned for a routine follow-up examination. The participants filled in a demographics questionnaire, questions on time spent online and using devices with digital screens, data on their eye complaints, and the validated Digital Eye Strain Questionnaire (DESQ).

The DESQ factor scores and total score correlated with the near addition (P < .001). Higher DESQ scores were associated (by order of magnitude) with higher near addition and a lower amount of time spent using a handheld screen-enabled device (P < .001) while controlling for age and type of corrective lenses.

Results indicate that older adults are at an additional disadvantage while using handheld screen-enabled devices compared with younger adults: they are more likely to be presbyopes and need higher near addition, yet increasing near addition does not guarantee greater comfort in the use of smartphones but rather increase the likelihood of experiencing digital eye strain symptoms.