Cross-sectional questionnaire study of ocular effects among IT professionals who use computers

Abstract

Aim:To detect the prevalence of ocular symptoms and other related problems experienced by IT professionals in OMR IT Corridor, Kelambakkam. Background: The dependence on the computer is rising with time. This will lead to numerous ill-effects in human beings out of which ocular manifestations play a prominent role (it is absolute necessary to know the hazards of the computer before we use it) previously done studies reveal that the awareness of ocular manifestation is less than 20%. Among the lesser known ocular manifestations, one of it is computer vision syndrome. Studies state that chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is one of the fast growing problems in the IT community that requires early identifi cation and prevention to save our younger generations. Thus, this study would provide the necessary detection of CVS in IT people and to know, which group of people requires counseling and which group requires treatment. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire study included IT professionals who attended the Department of Ophthalmology, Chettinad Medical College, Chennai during this study period. Questionnaire survey study data were collected in computer users regarding the demography, duration of computer use (hour per day), years of computer use, working distance from computer, level of top of screen from eye level, use of antiglare screen, brightness and contrast adjustment, taking breaks during computer use. Results: During this study period, 300 patients were randomly selected from various IT companies. In which, 186 (62%) males and 114 (38%) females were participated. They were having ocular complaints in descending order such as eye strain (69%), headache (56%), dryness (49%), irritation (47%), burning sensation (41%), blurred vision (39%), itching (32%), watering (29%), redness (21%), and double vision (16%) Interpretation: The data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Prevalence and risk factors of computer vision syndrome—assessed in office workers by a validated questionnaire

“…It would therefore be useful to determine from how many hours of work with digital devices exposure could be considered as a risk factor for CVS. In our study, we have found that working >6 hours/day with digital devices duplicates the probability of suffering from CVS and other research also confirms that working >6 hours/day with digital devices is linked to an increased risk of CVS ( Tauste et al, 2016 ; Zayed et al, 2021 ; Raja et al, 2015 ). It should be noted, however, that those who declare “more than 6 h per day” probably do not respect the legislative indication relating to the way in which breaks are used and the organization of work (in fact, the Italian law–Legislative Decree n.81/2008—prescribes 15 min breaks from VDU works every 120 min of VDU works).…”

“…An association between intensive use of digital devices at work and a greater probability of suffering from ocular and visual symptoms or CVS (≤6 hours/day: 61.2% vs >6 hours/day: 77.6%) has also been reported in the scientific literature ( Talens-Estarelles et al, 2021 ; Larese Filon et al, 2019 ; Robertson, Huang & Larson, 2016 ). However, some authors found statistical significance with a cut-off point of 2-4 or 4 hours/day ( Artime-Ríos et al, 2022 ), others with 6 hours/day (like us) ( Tauste et al, 2016 ; Zayed et al, 2021 ; Raja et al, 2015 ), 7 hours/day ( Rahman & Sanip, 2011 ), 8 hours/day ( Uchino et al, 2013 ), or even only analyze the correlation (as a continuous variable) ( Ranasinghe et al., 2016 ); making comparison between studies difficult. It would therefore be useful to determine from how many hours of work with digital devices exposure could be considered as a risk factor for CVS.…”

Real-Time Blink Detection as an Indicator of Computer Vision Syndrome in Real-Life Settings: An Exploratory Study

“…Blinking contributes to the maintenance of ocular surface moisture and favors the drainage of tears [24]. On average, a person blinks 15-20 times per minute; however, studies show that this rate is significantly lower when working at a computer, decreasing to 4-6 times per minute [1,3,8,16,17,25]. This is a relevant cause of CVS, since the decrease in blink rate increases the exposure of the ocular surface area, which leads to a poor tear film quality and temporarily stresses the cornea, causing eye dryness [3,5,16,17,26].…”

Association between visual acuity, ocular pathology and refractive error with computer vision syndrome: A cross sectional university study in Kenya

“…Similarly, another study found no strong association between refractive error and CVS [19]. However, these studies did not conduct a comprehensive examination to justify their conclusions.…”