Computer vision syndrome and ergonomic practices among undergraduate university students

Abstract

SummaryAim: To determine the prevalence of computer vision syndrome (CVS) and ergonomic practices among students in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica. Method:A cross-sectional study was done with a self-administered questionnaire.Results: Four hundred and nine students participated; 78% were females. The mean age was 21.6 years. Neck pain (75.1%), eye strain (67%), shoulder pain (65.5%) and eye burn (61.9%) were the most common CVS symptoms. Dry eyes (26.2%), double vision (28.9%) and blurred vision (51.6%) were the least commonly experienced symptoms.Eye burning (P = .001), eye strain (P = .041) and neck pain (P = .023) were significantly related to level of viewing. Moderate eye burning (55.1%) and double vision (56%) occurred in those who used handheld devices (P = .001 and .007, respectively). Moderate blurred vision was reported in 52% who looked down at the device compared with 14.8% who held it at an angle. Severe eye strain occurred in 63% of those who looked down at a device compared with 21% who kept the device at eye level. Shoulder pain was not related to pattern of use. Conclusion:Ocular symptoms and neck pain were less likely if the device was held just below eye level. There is a high prevalence of Symptoms of CVS amongst university students which could be reduced, in particular neck pain and eye strain and burning, with improved ergonomic practices. | INTRODUCTIONElectronic devices, laptops, tablets, ipads and smartphones, are now an integral part of studying at universities. Smart phone use in education is rapidly developing because of Google, Wikipedia and medical related apps.1-3 Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is at risk of becoming a major public health issue. 4The American Optometric Association defines CVS as a complex of eye and vision problems related to near vision activities involving computer use. 5 The prevalence of CVS ranges from 64% to 90%amongst computer users, with nearly 60 million people affected globally. 6,7 The most frequently occurring health related problems among computer users are CVS, wrist, neck, shoulder and back pain, an over use syndrome resulting in ocular and musculoskeletal discomfort. 8-10Students, who are frequent computer users are at increased risk of CVS and poor posture.

Visual system disorders and musculoskeletal neck complaints: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Symptoms may include blurred vision, reading problems, headache, diplopia, and in many cases, difficulty in maintaining comfortable vision for a long time . Also, these visual disorders are associated with musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck and shoulder . Although the two conditions are usually studied independently, there are indications that they can be physiologically related .…”

“…Although the two conditions are usually studied independently, there are indications that they can be physiologically related . It is important to note that the computer vision syndrome (64–90% prevalence) is a term that encompasses one or more symptoms in the visual system, neck, and shoulder. However, it does not necessarily imply the coexistence of these conditions.…”

“…Several variations were observed in the measurement techniques used in different studies. Some authors used questionnaires to record the subjects’ symptoms with a self‐report system . Others analyzed neck musculature at the same time as the visual system was altered .…”

A cross sectional overview of digital eye strain: a growing health concern in this digital age in central India (Madhya Pradesh)

“…In the present study, 89.5% students stated experiencing the symptoms of DES which is similar to that reported by Logaraj et al and Reddy et al 9,10 The prevalence of DES or CVS ranged from 53-73% in several other studies on computer users. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In a study in Malaysia conducted on 795 university students aged between 18 and 25 years, 89.9% of students surveyed feeling any type of symptom of DES. 10…”

A New Method for Evaluating the Visual Environment

“…decreased ability for the eyes to focus (Glimne et al , 2013). Visual and ocular symptoms are frequently reported problems associated with near work (Gowrisankaran et al, 2015;Hashemi et al, 2017;Mowatt et al, 2018;Zetterberg et al, 2016). Musculoskeletal problems in neck and shoulders are also reported in a high degree when performing visually demanding near work, such as computer work (Agrawal et al, 2017;Collins et al, 2015 ).…”