IJCRR - 6(16), August, 2014
Pages: 35-40
Date of Publication: 20-Aug-2014
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PREDICTION OF AN INCREASE IN EYE PROBLEMS, IN IJEBU-ODE AND IJEBU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OGUN STATE IN THE NEAREST FUTURE AS A RESULT OF SPENDING MUCH TIME ON COMPUTER / SMARTPHONE
Author: Akinola Kayode E., Badmus N. Idowu, Ogunobi Steven Gbenga
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Abstract:Good eyesight is an important part of wellbeing and a significant factor in retaining independence and quality of life as we get older. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that up to 80 per cent of blindness and serious visual loss around the world is avoidable through prevention or treatment (https://www.guidedogs.org.au/importance-of-eye-health). The study is set out to predict an increase in eye related problems in the nearest future in Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu North Local Government of Ogun State, judging from the personal experience of the respondents. To elicit response for the study, the research design adopted was the surveyed method using questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. Five hundred and fifty (550) questionnaires were administered to different categories of people that use computer or handset from the two local government areas, out of which 519 (97.9%) were duly answered and returned to the researcher . Those that participated in the study are people from banking sector, tertiary institutions, health sector, and civil service. The selection cut across different professions. The data obtained were analyzed using Frequency Distribution, Pearson Correlation, Chi-Square and Crosstab. The result obtained showed in fig. 1 that headache, eyestrains, double vision, redness of eye, blurred eye and irritation of eyes are different problems majority of those who spent much time with Smartphone/Computer mostly have, while watery eyes and dryness of eye are in the minority. Also the results consistently show that in the nearest future there will be an increase in eye related problem in Nigeria.
Keywords: Computer, Eyes Problem, Smartphone, Vision, Visual Display, Optometrist, Eyes Strain, Duration
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INTRODUCTION
Computer system has been very useful in almost every field of human endeavour, from offices to different shops and homes. Many people now work with computer for longer hours of time per day. Despite this computer usefulness there are a lot of problems that can be associated with the usage of computer over a long time (Olabiyisi, Akingboye, Abayomi, Izilien and Adeleke, 2013). Mobile devices such as smartphones or tablet PCs have already become ubiquitous. Recently, it has been increasIJCRR ingly common for people to check e-mail, browse on the Internet, watch movies, and even read books on their portable devices. Computers have become an indispensable part of modern life. Working for long hours in front of the computer is no longer confined to the office. Computers are now extensively used in schools and at home as well. With increased popularity of notebooks, tablets, smartphones and e-book readers, use of digital devices is no longer only limited to desktops. People use computerized devices for work, web surfing, social networking and playing video games. In this techno-age, children as young as two years are given touch screen devices like iPads to play and learn with. Professional video game players in South Korea are known to spend as long as 18 hours per day in front of their screens at a stretch. These accoutrements of modern living may give rise to a number of visual and ophthalmic problems. The ocular discomfort appears to increase with the amount of computer usage. Up to 90% of computer users may experience visual symptoms like blurred vision, eyestrain, headaches, ocular discomfort, dry eye and diplopia. The human focusing system responds well to images that have well defined edges with good contrast between the background and the letters. The characters on a computer screen are made of tiny dots called pixels. Pixels are the result of electronic beam striking the phosphorcoated rear surface of the screen. These characters have blurred edges as compared to letters on a printed page with sharply defined edges. This makes it difficult for the eye to maintain focus, thereby leading to eyestrain and fatigue (Chakrabarti 2007; Abelson and Ousler 1999, p.115). Presence of glare and reflections on the screen also worsen the symptoms (Rathore et al 2010). Computer users who are middle-aged and older may have presbyopia, an eye condition characterised by decreased near and intermediate visual acuities, which are needed for the various working distances of computer users (Izquierdo 2010). Working for prolonged hours of time looking at the computer monitor is a risk factor that may also lead computer users to have dry eye symptoms. Further, patients with pre-existing dry eyes may have exacerbated symptoms when using a computer (Izquierdo 2010). The specific objectives of this article is to: Determine if the number of respondents having eyes related problem from prolong use of computer/smartphone was significantly different from the number of respondents who does not have eyes related problem from prolong use of computer/smartphone and identify the variation in eyes related problems from prolong use of computer/smartphone as measured by a survey instrument. The article is arranged as follows: Section 2, contains the prediction of an increase in eye problems in two local governments’ areas of Ogun state in the nearest future , as a result of spending much time on computer/smartphone. The research methodology and the hypothesis of the study were carried out in section 3, section 4 deal with the results and suggestions and the concluding remark is in section 5.
THE PREDICTION OF AN INCREASE IN EYE PROBLEMS, IN IJEBU-ODE AND IJEBU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OGUN STATE.
Facts and figures of problems resulted from long usage of computer or handset in Nigeria have not been documented. About sixty million people suffer from CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome) globally and a million new cases occur every year (Sen and Richardson 2007, p.45). In other parts of the world, the 2001 United States Census report states that more than 143 million Americans spend time on a computer every day, and that 54 million of them are children. According to the National Centre for Education Statistics, 95% of schools and 62% of all classrooms in the USA have had computers since 1999 (Izquierdo 2010). According to Dr. David Allamby, a leading laser eye surgeon: there has been a 35% increase in the number of people with advancing myopia since the launch of smartphones in 1997. He also warned that the problem could increase by 50 per cent in the next ten years. “The information age has taken a toll on our eyesight” says Jefrey Anshel, an optometrist in Carlsbad, California, and president of Corporate Vision Consulting, which advises employers on vision issues . According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), 90% of employees who use computers at least three hours a day experience vision problems. More than 70% of computer users in the United States are having eye problem one way or the other (Torrey 2003). Recent studies also show that 70% of computer users worldwide report having vision problems (Divjak and Bischof 2009). Some studies suggest that one out of six patients requiring eye examination have a computerrelated eye problem (Sheedy 1992; Sheedy and Shaw-McMinn 2003). Computer work is particularly stressful for contact lens wearers. Long non-blinking phases may cause the surfaces of most lenses to dry out which can lead to discomfort and reduction in visual clarity (Anshel 2006). According to Dr. Blakeney, an optometric adviser to the college of optometrists, USA, computers will not permanently damage the eyes, however, they can cause strain or exacerbate existing eye conditions. The level of visual discomfort that occurs with computer users appears to increase with the amount of computer use. Based on current evidence, it is unlikely that use of computers causes permanent damage to the eyes. However, some users of computer may experience continued reduced visual abilities such as blurred distance vision even after work (Chiemeke et al 2007).
Reading from digital displays – especially from computer screens - creates severe usability problems that the readers must cope with (Bus and Neuman, 2009; Quinn and Stark-Adam, 2007; Van Den Broek, Kendeou, and White, 2009). Among these problems are the large readingdistance from the display, the long lines, the problem in shifting the eye-gaze from line to line (Evans, Charland, and Saint-Aubin, 2009) and the blurring of text on computer monitors. In Nigeria low back pain, neck pain, headache, shoulder pain and eyestrain, are the most prevalent Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) symptoms/pains (Allen E. Akhowa, 2007), He recommended that there is need for computer workplaces to improve on their designs towards finding a lasting solution to the hazardous problem. CVS is marked by eyestrain, tired and burning eyes, headaches, blurred vision, neck and back pain and muscle spasms. Computer work has not yet proven to cause permanent damage to eyes, but temporary discomfort that may occur can reduce productivity. It can cause lost work time and reduce job satisfaction. The performance on a specific task can be significantly decreased due to CVS, as much as 40 percent. This includes a reduction in work accuracy and a decrease in task volume. Employees using Visual Display Unit (VDU) for a larger part of their working days frequently report their eyesight is quite badly affected at work and for some time afterwards. Daum (2002) strongly suggests that improving the visual status of workers using computers results in greater productivity in the workplace, as well as improved visual comfort. The visual symptoms can largely be resolved with proper management of the environment and by providing proper visual care for the employees (Sheddy 1992). The symptoms of CVS-headaches and eyestrain- can force employees to shut down. Even the symptoms are negligible; they can affect performance and productivity in a big way. Companies can choose to understand and address the hazards of computer use. The gain can be extremely significant, both for employer and the employees (Torrey 2004).
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND HYPOTHESIS TEST
Social survey design was used for this research in other to obtain relevant information from respondents on the incidents of eye problems among computer users in Ijebu North Local Government of Ogun State in Nigeria. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection in this study. The questionnaire was designed and selfadministered to different categories of computer/smartphone users in various works of life in Nigeria, ranging from banking sector, civil service, educational sector, health sector to private sector. The distribution was ensured to cut across different field of professionalism. The data obtained from the questionnaires administered were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 17.0 for windows. The analysis was done in three facets: descriptive analysis through the frequencies procedure which produced frequency tables that displayed both the numbers and percentages of cases for each observed value of variables. Hypothesis were tested using Pearson Correlation to establish whether or not there is relationship between incidence of eye problems and duration of computer/ smartphone usage (years of computer usage and hours of computer usage at a stretch).
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis 1 H0:
There is no significant relationship between the duration of computer usage and the incidence of eye related problem. HA: There is significant relationship between the duration of computer usage and the incidence of eye related problem. Criteria for Rejection and Acceptance of Hypothesis α = 0.01 If p < = 0.01 the null hypothesis is rejected If p > 0.01 null hypothesis is accepted Where α is the level of significant and p-value is the probability that the observed correlation coefficient r was seen by chance.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This section discusses the results from the data analysed.
AGE OF RESPONDENTS
Table 1: presents the distribution of the study respondents by their age. It shows that the majority (74.5%) were aged between 26 and 25 years.
GENDER OF RESPONDENTS
Table 2 above: presents the gender distribution of the respondents. 46.8% of the respondents were males while 43.9% were females.
DISTRIBUTION OF HOURS AND YEARS OF COMPUTER /SMARTPHONE USAGE
Table 3 and 4: presents the distributions of hours and years of computer usage. It shows that respondents who used computer /smartphone for 3-5 hours and 3-5 years have the highest percentage of 46.5% and 28.1%
respectively. The table also revealed that majority of respondents 83.8% used computer/smartphone more than 3 hours in a day and that 90% of the respondents have been using computer/smartphone for more than 3 years. Research question 1: Which of these problems do you experience while using smartphone/computer
Table 5 and the chart above: Shows that majority of the respondents’ experienced one problem or the other in their eyes as a result of long use of computer / smartphone. From the table and chart, 68.8% of the respondents experienced headache, 62.2% experienced eyestrains, 58.8% experienced double vision, 68.6% experienced redness of eye, 38.5% experienced watery eyes, 28.9% experienced dryness of eyes, 64.5% experienced blurred vision and 68.2% experienced irritation. It follows therefore that headache, eyestrains, irritation, redness of eye, blurred vision and double vision are the problems majority of those who spent much time on smartphone/computer have. Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference between those experiencing eye problems as a result of prolong use of smartphone/computer and those who do not experience any problem.
Table 6 above, reveals that there is significant difference between those experiencing eye problems and those who do not. In all the identified problems, it was only in dryness of the eyes that there is no significant difference between those experiencing eye problems and those who do not. The chi-square value has p > 0.05. Hypothesis 2: There is no significant relationship between the duration of computer usage and the incidence of eye related problem.
Table 7 above reveals that, there is a strong relationship between duration of computer usage and incidence of eye related problems. The result showed a significant correlation at 0.01 levels (p=0.00, p<0.01, n=519, r=.348) between duration of computer usage and occurrence of eye related problems. The null hypothesis is rejected and alternate hypothesis accepted (see table 7)
CONCLUSION
The results of this article indicate that there is a link between the duration of computer usage and incidence of eye related problem. It also indicates that the longer hours spent of computer /smartphone, the higher the proximity of having headache, eye strain, double vision, redness of eyes, eyes irritation, dryness of eyes and watery eyes.
RECOMMENDATION
Enlightenment programs should be created in developing countries to educate people on measures to prevent eyes related problems from the use of computer. Media houses should also be involved in creating awareness on prevention of eye related problems among computer / smartphone users.
Measures to prevent eyes related problem should includes:
- Proper lighting or window treatments to reduce glare and minimize variations in light levels in computer room.
- Reducing visual stress from computer usage through rest or alternate task breaks throughout the workday or frequently looking into the distance to reduce focusing fatigue
- Adjustments to the work equipment, such as the location of the screen (s), keyboard, mouse, paperwork and chair;
- Adjustments to computer software, such as ensuring that the font, font size and screen display settings and its resolution in term of brightness to meet the visual needs of the user;
- Specific lenses to meet the unique demands of computer work, such as lenses that are focused for the distance of the computer screen, lens designs that incorporate near and intermediate focusing distances, and lens tints or coatings that may help to maximise vision and comfort;
- A programme of optometric vision therapy for computer/smartphone users Additional research regarding the influence of radiation from computer /smartphone should be investigated to determine its effects on the computer users.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Authors acknowledge the immense help received from the scholars whose articles are cited and included in references of this manuscript. The authors are also grateful to authors / editors / publishers of all those articles, journals and books from where the literature for this article has been reviewed and discussed. A sincere appreciation also goes to my students who help immensely in the publication of this research.
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