Digital device-related eye health awareness among the engineering fraternity

Abstract

Purpose: The spectrum of symptoms that arise from prolonged hours of computer work has been the focus of interest since computers became the center of the modern workplace. This study focuses on engineers and aims at identifying the departments that are most susceptible to the effects of computer vision syndrome (CVS), their awareness about the entity, and identify lacunae in the existing eye health education provided to them. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an open online survey that was circulated among engineering college students belonging to colleges in Southern India and working professionals in the Information Technology (IT) and non-IT sector from the Southern States of India. Responses were collected over a period of 5 weeks spanning over 2 months and analyzed using the SPSS software version 25. Results: A total of 449 usable responses were received. The professionals in the non-IT sector logged a daily average work-related computer usage of 3.9 ± 3.1 h/day, while the IT sector professionals logged 4.3 ± 3.2 h/day of work-related computer usage. Among the participants, 57% of the study population were unaware of an entity called CVS, and 74.6% believed that blue light filters prevented damage caused by prolonged screen time. The data showed that 18% of the study population have never undergone an ophthalmic evaluation. Conclusion: It is evident that no health education is available to engineers at any stage of their professional career that helps them deal with ocular effects of prolonged screen time. We would like to recommend an ophthalmic screening and eye-heath awareness program to be conducted at the time of recruitment, with refresher courses at timely intervals.