Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jan 22, 2021
Date Accepted: May 6, 2022
Date Submitted to PubMed: May 10, 2022
Distinct Diurnal and Day of Week Online Search Patterns Related to Common Eye Conditions: A Google Trends Approach
ABSTRACT
Background:
Studies suggest diurnal patterns of occurrence of some eye conditions. Leveraging new information sources such as online search data to learn more about such patterns could improve understanding of patient eye-related conditions and well-being, better inform timing of clinical and remote eye care, and improve precision when targeting online public health campaigns towards underserved populations.
Objective:
To investigate our hypothesis that the public is likely to consistently search about different ophthalmologic conditions at different hours of the day or days of week, we conducted an observational study using search data for terms related to ophthalmologic conditions such as conjunctivitis. We assessed whether search volumes reflected diurnal or day-of-week patterns and if those patterns were distinct from each other.
Methods:
Hourly search data for eye-related and control search terms were analyzed and compared. Setting: Google Trends data from 10 USA states for the entire year of 2018. Exposure: Internet search. Participants: Populations that searched Google’s search engine using our chosen study terms. Main Outcome Measures: Cyclical hourly and day of week online search patterns. For statistical analyses P < .001 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
Distinct diurnal (P < .001 for all search terms) and day-of-week search patterns for eye-related terms were observed but with differing peak time periods and cyclic strengths. Some diurnal patterns represented those reported from prior clinical studies. Of the eye related terms, “pink eye” showed the largest diurnal amplitude-to-mean ratios. Stronger signal was restricted to and peaked in mornings, and amplitude was higher on weekdays. In contrast, “dry eyes” had a higher amplitude diurnal pattern on weekends, with stronger signal occurring over a broader evening to morning period and peaking in early morning.
Conclusions:
The frequency of online searches for various eye conditions can show cyclic patterns according to time of day or week. Further studies to understand the reasons for these variations may help supplement current clinical understanding of ophthalmologic symptom presentation and improve the timeliness of patient messaging and care interventions.
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