JMIR Publications

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, and improve timing of clinical and remote eye care or of targeted online public health campaigns for hard-to-reach populations.

Objective:

To investigate our hypothesis that the public is likely to consistently search about different eye conditions at different hours of the day or days of week, we conducted an observational study using search data for terms related to eye 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:

Design: Hourly search data for eye-related and control search terms for 2018 were analyzed and compared. Setting: Data from 10 USA states. Exposure: Internet search. Participants: Populations that searched Google’s search engine using our chosen study terms. Main Outcome Measures: Cyclical hourly and weekly online search patterns.

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 eye symptom presentation and improve the timeliness of patient messaging and care interventions.