• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.25 no.3 s.39
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• pp.247-268
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• 1992

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of VDT work on eyes and vision among workers in a TV manufacturing plant. The study subjects consisted of 264 screen workers and 74 non-screen workers who were less than 40 years old male and had no history of opthalmic diseases such as corneal opacities, trauma, keratitis, etc and whose visual acuity on pre-employment health examination by Han's test chart was 1.0 or above. The screen workers were divided into two groups by actual time for screen work in a day : Group I, 60 workers, lesser than 4 hours a day and group II, 204 workers, more than 4 hours a day. From July to October 1992 a questionnaire was administered to all the study subjects for the general charateristics and subjective eye symptoms after which the opthalmologic tests such as visual acuity, spherical equivalent, lacrimal function, ocular pressure, slit lamp test, fundoscopy were conducted by one opthalmologist. The proportion of workers whose present visual acuity was decreased more than 0.15 in comparison with that on the pre-employment health examination by Han's test chart was 20.6% in Group II. 15.0% in Group I and 14.9% in non-screen workers. However, the differences in proportion were not statistically significant. The proportion of workers with decreased visual acuity was not associated with the age, working duration, use of magnifying glass and type of shift work (independent variables) in all of the three groups. However, screen workers working under poor illumination had a higher proportion of persons with decreased visual acuity than those working under adequate illumination (P<0.05) . The proportion of workers whose near vision was decreased was 27.5% in Group II, 18.3% in Group I, and 28.4% in non-screen workers and these differences in proportion were not statistically significant. Changes of near vision were not associated with 4 independent variables in all of the three groups. Six out of seven subjective eye symptoms except tearing were more common in Group I than in non-screen workers and more common in Group II than in Group I (P<0.01). Mean of the total scores for seven subjective symptoms of each worker(2 points for always, 1 point for sometimes, 0 point for never) was not significantly different between workers with decreased visual acuity and workers with no vision change. However, mean of the total scores for Group II was higher than those for the Group I and non-screen workers (P<0.01). Total eye symptom scores were significantly correlated with the grade of screen work, use of magnifying glass, and type of shift work. There was no independent variable which was correlated with the difference in visual acuity between the pre-employment health examination and the present state, the difference between far and near visions, lacrimal function, ocular pressure, and spherical equivalent. Multiple linear regression analysis for the subjective eye symptom scores revealed a positive linear relationship with actual time for screen work and shift work(P<0.01). In this study it was not observed that the VDT work decreased visual acuity but it induces subjective eye symptoms such as eye fatigue, blurred vision, ocular discomfort, etc. Maintenance of adequate illumination in the work place and control of excessive VDT work are recommended to prevent such eye symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.9-14
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the accommodative facility, blink rate and accommodative lag according to the change of angles of main viewpoint of near distance worker and study an appropriate viewing angle that mitigates asthenopia, such as headaches or eye fatigue accompanied when reading and staring at the computer or TV for a long time. Methods: Total of 27 people including 12 male university students and 15 female university students in the age of 20 to 36 with frequent near distance works, such as computers, were selected to study the accommodative facility, the blink rate and the accommodative lag in accordance with the change of viewing angles of the near distance workers. The refraction error was corrected completely and the phoropter was shifted to near distance mode to locate the near distance indication at 40 cm. The accommodative facility and the blink rate were measured for one minute at each viewing direction of $40^{\circ}$ downward, $20^{\circ}$ downward, horizontal, and $20^{\circ}$ upward directions based on the horizontal line and the accommodative lag was measured in dynamic retinoscopy using retinoscope. Results: As a result, when the main viewpoint was moved on upper direction from the $40^{\circ}$ below, the accommodative facility was reduced and the blink rate and the accommodative lag were increased so their eyes became dry and the accommodation response was reduced. Conclusions: In near distance works, the eye fatigue level can be minimized by locating a book or a computer screen $40^{\circ}$ below than the horizontal direction.