Hygienic characteristics of risk factors for visual impairment in students

Abstract

The active transformation of the higher professional education system from a traditional form of education to a digital educational environment has created new health risks for students. The article presents the results of a hygienic assessment of factors of the intra-University environment, organization of the educational process and lifestyle during school and extracurricular time. The data obtained indicate that the priority adverse factors associated with vision are a high level of educational visual and intellectual loads, the intensity of the educational process, which is formed mainly due to sensory loads, a low level of natural and artificial lighting, non-compliance of the placement of educational furniture with hygienic requirements in practical classes and lecture halls; as well as high visual loads in students during extracurricular time when preparing for classes for more than 4 hours using computers, electronic gadgets, visiting social networks via mobile phones more than five times a day (the average duration of one session on the Internet is from 5 to 10 minutes for every third student; 38.1 % of students spent 30 to 60 minutes on one session on the Internet), playing on various gadgets and computers against the background of a lack of night sleep, walking in the open air, low motor activity and adherence to Smoking and alcohol consumption. The identified risk factors associated with vision determined the high prevalence of myopia among the subjects, which was 295 cases per 1000 examined.