Prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome Among Iranian Medical University Employees and Graduate Students in their Occupational Environment

Background and Objectives: The prolonged use of digital screens can cause a set of visual and ocular symptoms known as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), which is a common health issue among computer users. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of CVS among university employees and graduate students in their occupational environment in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Rehabilitation School of Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. The study population (n=154) included all university employees and graduate students who spend at least one hour of computer work per day in their workplace. The participants completed a validated self-administered questionnaire. A descriptive analysis was performed and the prevalence of CVS was calculated. The correlations between variables were assessed using the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients and non-parametrical tests were used to evaluate the association between CVS and predictor variables, as well as differences between subgroups. Results: The Mean±SD age of the sample was 37.7±11.0 years, 64.3% were women, 57.8% were employee, 56.5% have higher education and the Mean±SD of computer usage time was 5.08±2.2. The total prevalence of CVS was 48.7% and the most frequent symptoms were eye redness (62.3%) and burning (56.5%). A significant positive correlation was found between the number of hours working with a computer and the total score of CVS (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.248, P=0.02). Moreover, the total score of CVS significantly differed between participants who use six or more hours the computer and those who spend less than six hours (Mann-Whitney U test: P=0.007). Conclusion: This is the first investigation using a validated questionnaire to estimate the prevalence of CVS among computer users in the occupational environment, in Iran. The results show a relatively high prevalence of CVS these populations. The most affected are those who use the computer for a longer duration.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS): Work-Related Musculo-Skeltal Disorder and its Intervention in Ayurveda

Today the desk/chair-hand combination became the cultural norm in the workplace. Typical seated worker has risk of musculo-skeltal disorders same as lifting heavy weights on job. CTS is one of the musculo-skeletal disorder and is due to overuse, strain, forceful or stressed motion of hand and wrist. Activities or jobs that require repetitive flexion and extension of the wrist may contribute such as computer work, sewing, writing, playing instruments, and driving for long duration. Its Risk factors include RA or other wrist arthritis, Diabetes etc. In Ayurveda increase or vitiation of Vata results in compression and pain which is present in CTS. Ayurveda management of Carpal tunnel syndrome involves the management of vitiated Vata Dosha. The primary aim is to ease inflammation and pain by improving blood circulation and relaxing the muscles. In this regard, an attempt has been made to review the Ganas (Group of drugs) like Vednasthapana, Daha-Shamaka and therapies like Basti, Swedna mentioned in Ayurvedic classical texts and scientific journals which helps in management of symptom and eliminate the root cause of diseases.

Does treadmill workstation use affect user’s kinematic gait symmetry?

The effects of treadmill workstation use on kinematic gait symmetry and computer work performance remain unclear. The purpose of this pilot study was to analyze the effects of treadmill workstation use on lower body motion symmetry while performing a typing task when compared to overground and treadmill walking. The lower body motion of ten healthy adults (6 males and 4 females) was recorded by a motion capture system. Hip, knee, and ankle joint rotations were computed and compared for each condition. Despite comparable lower body kinematic gait asymmetries across conditions, asymmetric knee flexion motions at early gait cycle were only found in treadmill workstation users (left knee significantly more flexed than the right one). This demonstrates that the interaction between walking and another task is dependent on the task cognitive content. Our findings suggest that lower body kinematic gait symmetry may be influenced by the use of treadmill workstations.

Effect of Periodic Voluntary Interventions on Trapezius Activation and Fatigue During Light Upper Limb Activity

Objective The effects of diverse periodic interventions on trapezius muscle fatigue and activity during a full day of computer work were investigated. Background Musculoskeletal disorders, including trapezius myalgia, may be associated with repeated exposure to prolonged low-level activity, even during light upper-extremity tasks including computer work. Methods Thirty healthy adults participated in a study that simulated two 6-hour workdays of computer work. One workday involved imposed periodic passive and active interventions aimed at disrupting trapezius contraction monotony (Intervention day), whereas the other workday did not (Control day). Trapezius muscle activity was quantified by the 3-dimensional acceleration of the jolt movement of the acromion produced by electrically induced muscle twitches. The spatio-temporal distribution of trapezius activity was measured through high-density surface electromyography (HD-EMG). Results The twitch acceleration magnitude in one direction was significantly different across measurement periods ( p = 0.0156) on Control day, whereas no significant differences in any direction were observed ( p > 0.05) on Intervention day. The HD-EMG from Intervention day showed that only significant voluntary muscle contractions (swing arms, Jacobson maneuver) induced a decrease in the muscle activation time and an increase in the spatial muscle activation areas ( p < 0.01). Conclusion Disruption of trapezius monotonous activity via brief voluntary contractions effectively modified the ensuing contraction pattern (twitch acceleration along one axis, active epochs reduction, and larger spatial distribution). The observed changes support an associated reduction of muscle fatigue. Application This study suggests that disruptive intervention activity is efficient in reducing the impact of trapezius muscle fatigue.

Towards the integration of personal task-lighting in an optimised balance between electric lighting and daylighting: A user-centred study of emotion, visual comfort, interaction and form-factor of task lights

Task-lighting is a well-known strategy to save energy by bringing light where it is most needed, providing adaptable localised light conditions of special interest in the current home-office context. Despite these benefits and in addition to negatively impacting biological rhythms, the generalization of backlit screens has made task lights less demanded, with screen users tending to accept significantly lower amounts of the illuminance standards. In parallel, the advantages of task-lighting may contradict the energy benefits of presence-driven lighting or blinds automation. This pilot experiment aims at evaluating the task light usage patterns and characteristic preferences for both paper and computer work from a user-centered perspective to provide guidelines in terms of luminaires characteristics. Thirteen participants evaluated three different task lights in both paper and computer conditions. Our results emphasize the role of the luminaire’s form factor, interface and lighting control characteristics, providing general recommendations on luminaire design.

Investigating effect of keyboard distance on the posture and 3D moments of wrist and elbow joints using OpenSim

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper extremities and computer use are common in modern societies, and both show a growing trend. This study was conducted to determine the posture and 3D moments of wrist and elbow joints at different keyboard distances on a desk. Methods Twelve healthy right-handed male volunteers attended the motion analysis laboratory. A keyboard was placed at three different distances from the participants' bodies while performing a standard computer task. The workstation was adjusted according to ANSI/HFES-100-2007 standard for each participant to maintain comfortable ergonomic posture for controlling confounding variables. Qualisys motion capture system, OpenSim software (Ver. 4.1), and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to collect and analyze the data. Also, SPSS (Ver.16) was used to descriptive, Friedman and Wilcoxon tests. Results The highest levels of wrist flexion and radial deviation as well as elbow flexion and pronation were observed when the keyboard was at the edge of the desk. When the keyboard was 8 cm away from the edge of the desk, the wrist flexion, deviation, and pronation had the least values. With increasing the distance of the keyboard from the edge of the desk, the range of motion (ROM) of the wrist flexion and deviation as well as elbow flexion, supination and pronation decreased. The joint moments were not significantly different for the different studied keyboard positions (P-value > 0.05). Conclusions However, a cut-off point has to be specified because large keyboard distances cause high extension and flexion of the limbs. The position of the keyboard relative to the body is an important parameter in computer work and has a significant impact on the posture of the upper extremities. A keyboard should be located at a distance that allows the upper extremities to remain in a neutral position so that the risk of MSDs is reduced.

Implementasi Web Service Pada Sistem Informasi Geografis (SIG) Peta Sebaran Data Covid-19 Berbasis Mobile Apps

Geographical Information System is an information system based on computer work that enters, manages, manipulates and analyzes data and provides descriptions and produces geographically referenced data.By using the Geographic Information System, it is hoped that it will be easier for the people of Indonesia to find out which locations or provinces are most affected by Covid-19. The use of a geographic information system (GIS) concerning the presentation of data and information in the form of maps can be used as a tool in making a decision.Research uses web service technology to collect data and integrate services from multiple sources. The web service protocol and architecture used is (REST), with independent data exchange using the JSON format. The application (GIS) will later be tested using black box testing methods and automation testing.

Awareness and prevalence on computer vision syndrome among medical students: A cross-sectional study

Background: Computers have significantly impacted cognitive, social, physical and various other aspects of the modern daily lives of computer users, especially among internet users. Our life is inseparable from the internet, e.g., chatting, online shopping, gaming, video conferencing, and emailing. In the modern day, nearly every job is done sitting in front of a computer. Majority of the day is spent on the computer either working or for recreational purposes. Consequently, the effects of computer use on eyes and vision has increased too. This study will review the factors relating to eye and vision problems amongst students and its association with computer work and provide recommendations for preventing or reducing their development. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the current study was to estimate the prevalence of computer vision syndrome, its knowledge and application among medical students. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, which was carried out amongst the MBBS students (1st, 2nd and 3rd year) of Rama Medical College Hospital and Research Center, Kanpur, India. The data was collected between January 2017 to March 2017. Students who gave their consent were taken up for the study. A pretested, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: A total of 214 medical students participated and majority of them were below 22 years of age. The prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome was found to be 83% [95% CI = 67.9% - 91.6%]. More than 70% students spend up to 4 hours in front of computer. Roughly 40% knowledge of Computer Vision Syndrome, but only 10% took any measures to prevent the disease. And those who had symptoms experience them within 2-3 hours of computer use. Majority of them complained of having watery eyes and blurred vision. Conclusion: A significant proportion of students do manifests Computer Vision Syndrome and denotes that the health of the people working on the computers should be emphasized as a field of concern in public health. These are young kids and having this syndrome so early in life will have a detrimental effect on their health in future. Hence the stakeholders involved, needs to be sensitized regarding the importance of the regular eye and health check-ups and proper rest to the eyes. Further research is recommended to know the depth of the problem as it has the potential to become a modern-day pandemic.