Computer vision syndrome: Prevalence and its associated risk factors among computer-using bank workers in Pakistan

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of symptoms of computer vision syndrome (CVS) and identify its associated risk factors among computer-using bank workers in Pakistan.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on computer-using bank workers. Data collection procedure included self-administered questionnaire and comprehensive ocular health examination. Analysis of the data was done through the SPSS version 22. The prevalence of CVS and its associated risk factors were investigated. The chi-square test was used to study the significance of association of CVS with potential risk factors.
Results: Of 127 participants, three-fourth (n=95; 74.8%) were male. Most of the participants (n=53; 41.7%) were in the age group 30-40 years. With the prevalence of 79.5% of any ocular symptoms, burning of eyes was the most frequent ocular symptom (77.2%). General body fatigue was the most experienced (92.9%) non-ocular symptoms of CVS followed by headache (83.5%). Out of 127 participants, 71 males and 30 females had CVS in mild, moderate, or severe form. Female participants had significantly high risk of CVS than male participants (p=0.01). Duration of using computer per day and uninterrupted length of time working on computer were significantly associated with the occurrence of CVS (p=0.001; p=0.008 respectively). No significant association was found between CVS with distance from computr screen (p=0.89), frequency of break time (p=0.18) and font size (p=0.12).
Conclusion: Higher prevalence of CVS related symptoms were observed among computer-using bank workers. Non-ocular symptoms associated with the use of computer were greater than ocular symptoms (92.9% VS 77.2%).
Key words: Computer vision syndrome, ocular symptoms, non-ocular symptoms, risk factors bank workers.