Introduction: With the increasing use of technology for virtual classrooms, students are exposed to more of screen time be it computers or any Visual Display Terminals (VDT). This has resulted in a serious health issue known as Computer Vision Syndrome(CVS). Computer vision syndrome also referred to as digital eye strain is a condition in which a person experiences diverse set of ocular symptoms as a result of prolonged working on computer or any VDT’s.1 Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of CVS, the associated risk factors and awareness about the condition among the students of engineering college in north bangalore. Materials and Methods: a cross-sectional non interventional questionnaire based study was conducted among engineering students from may 2019 to oct 2019. Data was collected regarding the demography, use of spectacles/contact lens, duration of computer use, hours on computer per day, symptoms of CVS, awareness about CVS. Results: A total of 1000 students were enrolled for this study. The prevalence of CVS was found to be 82.3%. The most prevalent symptom was eye strain followed by headache. Significant association was found between increased hours of computer use and the prevalence of CVS (p<0.01). Though majority of students (76%) were aware of CVS only 24% of them were aware of the correct ergonomics. Conclusion: Extensive use of computers for work and recreational purposes is associated with an alarmingly high incidence of serious visual and other health problems. Clear and correct guidelines are needed to mitigate and reduce this health issue. Keeping this in mind, the health and educational professionals should pay considerable attention to CVS and adopt preventive measures to tackle this global health problem.

Keywords: Computer Vision Syndrome; Digital Eye Strain; VDT(Visual Display Terminal).