The Risk Factors that Predispose Palestinian Students at ANU to Computer Vision Syndrome (optometry)

Supervisor Name:

Dr. Jamal Qaddumi

Abstract :

Introduction & purpose: As computers become part of our everyday life, more and more people are experiencing a Variety of ocular symptoms related to computer use. These include eyestrain, tired eyes, irritation, redness, blurred vision, and double vision, collectively referred to as computer vision syndrome (CVS), This study mainly addressed the risk factors that predispose Palestinian students at ANU to CVS and examined the relationship between demographic, environmental, Behavioural /social risk factors, ocular and musculoskeletal symptoms and prolonged use of computer.

Methodology:A cross-section study was conducted on ANU students enrolled in Informational Technology (IT), Computer &Architectural Engineering (CAE), Urban Planning Engineering (UPE) and Interior & Graphic Design (IGD) programs, a full and detailed case history, followed by a face-to-face questionnaire were conducted, Binocular and dry eye test were also performed, Final CVS diagnosis was based on the fact that the participant has one or more of the CVS symptoms (DES, musculoskeletal symptoms and binocular vision abnormality).

Results: Our initial pilot sample consisted mainly of female students (76.7%), and all subjects were between the ages of 19-23 years old and they are in their second to fifth year. 93.3% of participants used the computer for more than 5 hours at a stretch in a day and they indicated the laptop as the primary electronic device of use mainly for typing/chatting. All the participants were complaining of musculoskeletal problems, where (56.7, 50%) of them were complaining of binocular vision problems and dry eye, respectively. Study participants indicated that the most common CVS symptoms among students was having both musculoskeletal and binocular vision problems (33.3%), and that the most common ocular symptoms associated with their computer use included headaches (83.3%), eyestrain (66.7%), eye twitch (63.2%), red eye (53.3%) and eye pain (53.3%). The most common musculoskeletal symptoms associated with computer use among participants included neck pain (83.3%), shoulder pain (73.3%) and back pain (70%). The most binocular vision change among students was convergence insufficiency (20%) and 70% of them reported loss of mental concentration while 80% said they clean their computer screens regularly and eat food rich in vitamin A. Results showed that there is a statistically significance between participants' total number of CVS symptoms they have and both academic level and the working distance (50-60 cm) since the P- value is 0.017, 0.059 respectively. Another statistically significant correlation the table shows between dry eye disease and both regular cleaning of the computer screen and using a comfortable chair while working on computer with a P- value 0.043 and 0.007 respectively

Conclusion:Computer Vision Syndrome is a common ocular problem but the symptoms often can be ignored and neglected by the computer users. If the problem persisted it may reduce job satisfaction and performance. Prevention of symptoms is an important strategy and computer users need to understand the factors that may contribute to this symptom.

 Key words: Computer Vision Syndrome, video display terminals (VDT’S), Dry eye syndrome (DES), Binocular vision dysfunctions