Adel Mazloumi, Reza Pourbabaki, Sajjad Samiei,
Volume 9, Issue 3 (9-2019)
Abstract
Introduction: Nowadays, working in any computer work stations, named visual display terminal (VDT), was widespread and has become popular in our lives. Due to the increasing trend of using computers in the administrative and social institutions, prevalence of eye-related signs of working with computers is still increasing and it is one of the most important health issues. Computer jobs are low-mobility and require little energy to do physical work, but require more cognitive processing and mental focus. Visual fatigue is an occupational hazard for people working with computers. Eye fatigue has symptoms such as headaches, job discomfort, and eye pain the purpose of this study was to have a systematic review on eye fatigue, dry eye and eye blink among people working with visual terminals.
Material and Methods: Internet search databases and search engines were used to find articles with focusing on the impact of risk factors on eye indexes on computer users. In this study, related articles were obtained from websites, including: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Sciences. The keywords were used to search in these websites were: computer user, eye fatigue, dry eye and eye blink. Accordingly, after finding 115 relevant articles from the related sites, 17 articles were finally selected.
Results: Findings show that using computer cause many problems in the eye. Duration of using the computer, the type of work with the computer, the mental load, the distance from the monitor, and also long-term use of the computer without break in during work can cause dry and fatigue eye in users, which is one of the most common ocular problems among computer users.
Conclusion: According to the finding and results recommended to reduce of dry and fatigue eye, distance of users from the monitors, be more than 50cm, use 20-20-20 law to rest user’s eyes, and Positioning the monitor be 15-20 degrees below the user’s line of sight. Also, too much focus on the screen reduces blinking and resulting in dry eyes. In order to prevent dryness of the surface of the eye, it is recommended that the eyelid be optional even if possible. Increasing the contrast of the monitor can be helpful in reducing stress and strain on the eye while working with a computer and using glasses instead of lenses to correct refractive errors and one of the ways to control and improve dry eye is using artificial tears by computer users.
Adel Mazloumi, Sajjad Samiei, Reza Pourbabaki,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: Nowadays, excessive computer use in the workplace has raised concerns about the health status of VDT workers, particularly complaints about eye discomforts. Due to the importance of the eyelids and eye closure parameters on eye health during computer works and the direct effect of monitor height on these parameters, this study was aimed to examine the effect of different monitor heights adjustment on the eye indicators and eye discomfort among participants.
Material and Methods: In this study, any changes in the eye indicators including blink rate, the eye blink opening and closing time, the blink opening rate in three different monitor heights (standard, low, and high) were examined among 11 participants. The blink rate and the eye blink opening and closing time were measured and evaluated using videotaping and analyzing by an image processing software, developed in this study. Participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire for eye fatigue assessment due to daily computer uses.
Results: Results showed that the highest rate of eye blink was at the standard height of the monitor, and this rate was significantly different at three different heights of monitors (high, standard, and low) (p<0.05). The lowest blink rate was observed at low and high heights with an average of 7.3 and 7.8 and the highest blink rate at standard height with an average of 8.9 blink per minute, respectively. Meanwhile, image processing and analyzing of eye surface showed, in average, 16% decrease in the opening rate of the eye surface by decreasing the height of the monitor, and 15% increase by increasing it, relative to the standard mode of monitor.
Conclusion: To protect users from computer-related eye strain, it is recommended to correct monitors height to the standard height along with typing and data entry training for keyboarding skill development and minimizing working times as a result. What is more, a proper work-rest schedule when working with computer can be considered as an effective countermeasure to prevent from eye strain.
