Students who did not used adjustable chair, height adjustable keyboard were at higher risk of developing neck and shoulder pain. Students who viewed the computer at a distance of less than 20 inches, viewed upwards or downwards to see the computer, who did not avoid glare and did not took frequent breaks were at higher risk of developing CVS. Results: Out of 416 students studied, 58% of them viewed computer at a distance of 20 to 40 inches, 61 % viewed the computer screen at the same level, 42.8% placed the reference material between monitor and key board, 24.5% tilted screen backward and 75.7% took frequent breaks to prevent CVS. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate students using pre-tested structured questionnaire on the demographic profile, practice of ergonomic principles and symptoms of CVS experienced while on continuous computer work within the past one month duration. Objective: To assess the practice of students on ergonomic principles while working on computers and their association with the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). In addition, special attention should be given to the young population including children and students in schools, colleges and universities.īackground: With increasing use of computers by young adults in educational institutions as well as at home there is a need to investigate whether students are adopting ergonomic principles when using computers. A better understanding of the pathophysiology underlying CVS is necessary to empower practitioners to accurately diagnose and treat patients with CVS necessary precautions and care should be exercised to prevent serious impact of CVS on productivity and sustainable economic development of countries in Africa. It is concluded that, as computer users are increasing rapidly, they are at risk of CVS. The prevalence of the symptoms varied between studies. The most common symptoms include headache, eye strain, double vision, dry eyes, eye fatigue and other symptoms of eye strain. The risk factors associated with the syndrome range from individual visual problems and poor ergonomics. In this report, a review of literature on CVS was undertaken to determine the prevalence of CVS and compare the prevalence between studies. Several studies, mainly in developed countries, have shown an association between computer use and visual health related symptoms (Computer Vision Syndrome, CVS) in both children and adults. It is estimated that globally, about 45 to 70 million people spend hours staring into a video display terminal, popularly known as computer screen. In today's society, the use of computer as a tool at workplaces, academic institutions, recreation facilities and homes has become very common. Conclusion: The study revealed lack of information and skills in ergonomics contributing to poor ergonomic conditions and consequent visual discomforts among computer users in the work place. Neck, back and shoulder pains were reported by 85% of respondents while 73% complained of eyestrain. Most (70%) of the workers acknowledged not having knowledge of ergonomics whiles 100% noted that they did not have any ergonomic assessment of their workstations. Results: Almost half (50%) of respondents had monitors facing windows without appropriate blinds, 42% with monitor tilt angle less than 10 degrees and majority (76%) observed monitors either at or above horizontal eye level. Descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0 was used for data analysis. This cross-sectional study consisted of a checklist (computer workstation components, visual complaints and ergonomics knowledge), work posture observations and measurements of workstation linear distances and monitor tilt angle. Respondents selected included secretaries, research assistants and data and account processors. Method: A total of 150 office employees purposively sampled participated in this study. The study therefore sought to assess computer workstation designs in administrative offices at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, with the aim of creating awareness of ergonomics and its application among administrative office computer users. Injuries and discomforts therefore have higher propensity to occur since most offices formally designed for paper-based work now accommodate computer workstations, without corresponding redesigning. Tremendous usage of computers in most offices of emerging economies have however, not seen accompanying applications of ergonomics in the design of computer workstations despite the numerous benefits. Objective: Ergonomically designed workstations have direct bearing on the comfort and safety of office computer users.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |