Abstract
Background: Globally, a computer is one of the most commonly used office tool for different purposes. University employees are among the most frequent computer users as they use it as the primary office tool for teaching and for administrative purposes. While the use of computer has benefited the society, it has also caused symptoms related to its usage such as ocular sprain, irritation, redness, dryness, blurred vision and double vision. Using computer for a prolonged time has been shown to increase the health risk of computer vision syndrome (CVS).
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the patterns of computer usage and related visual problems amongst the university workers in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with a sample size of 406 was conducted among administrative staff of the College of Health Sciences of the university of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville campus.
The data were collected using an electronic self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v 27.0 and EPINFO v7.0 was used to generate Crude Odds Ratios and adjusted odds ratios respectively.
Results: This study found 46.6% prevalence of CVS among university administrative staff, the risk was higher among participants who used the computer for more than 7 hours (AOR: 6.73, 95% CI: 3.27- 13.89). This study showed an association between age, marital status, number of years in the current job and wearing of glasses with computer vision syndrome. Age was found to be a risk factor for developing CVS, with 40-49 years (OR: 5.35, 95% CI: 1.78 – 16. 04), and 50 years and above (OR:2.14, 95% CI: 1.02 – 4.47) more likely to have a visual impairment. Marital status was another factor associated with a higher risk, (OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.49 – 1.13) for single and (AOR: 2.54, 95 % CI 1.08 – 5.96) for widowed or divorced participants. The risk of CVS increased with the number of years in the current job, 5 to 6 years (OR: 3.93, 95% CI: 1.40 – 11.04), 7 to 8 years (OR: 11.84, 95% CI: 2.21 – 33.25), 9 to 10 years (OR: 12.00, 95% CI:3.91 – 36.81) and 10 years (AOR: 15.13, 95% CI: 5.77 – 39.63). The risk was greater amongst participants who used the computer for research (AOR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.24 – 0.85), online shopping (AOR: 0.20,95% CI:0.06 – 0.65) and for online meetings (AOR: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.15 – 0.50).
The most common symptoms were eyestrain (AOR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.14 – 0.38), watery eyes (OR: 1.73, 95% CI 1.06 – 2.84), eye sting (OR 10.80, 95% CI 1.36 – 86.06) and blurred vison (2.09, 95% CI:1.09 – 4.02). Other symptoms associated with a higher risk of CVS included frequently experiencing eye tiredness (AOR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.05 – 0.40), sometimes had tired
5
eyes (AOR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.16 – 0.74), experiencing heavy eyes sometimes (AOR: 0.35, 95% CI:0.19 – 0.63) or frequently (AOR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.09 – 0.54), and having double vision sometimes (AOR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.11 – 0.39) or frequently (AOR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06 – 0.38) after using the computer.
Seeking medical advice was positively associated with having a visual impairment (OR: 10.72, 95% CI:6.58 – 12.54). Optometrist were the first point of contact for participants who sought medical help (AOR: 5.65, 95% CI: 3.05 – 10.44) followed by general practitioner (OR:3.16, 95% CI: 1.11 – 9.04) and hospital (AOR: 5.18, 95% CI: 1.29 – 20.69). Lack of training on safe computer use was positively associated with CVS (AOR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.11 – 0.41).
Conclusion: The risk of CVS among university administrative workers is apparent and may be increased by many factors including those of working environment and patterns of exposure such as duration and degree of exposure. Modification of working environment ergonomics, patient education and appropriate eye care are important preventative strategies.
Key words: Computer vision syndrome, university staff, prolonged computer usage, eyestrain, visual problems, video display terminals.