Short-Term Changes in Eyestrain of VDU Users as a Function of Age

Abstract

Operators at a Swedish Telecom Directory Enquiry Centre participated in tests of eyestrain including measures of accommodation and convergence near points, focusing accuracy, and dark focus. The optometric measurements were conducted before and after work at a visual display unit (VDU) and in two control conditions, with or without job rotation. Visual focus of accommodation was measured with a modified version of the field laser optometer method. The results showed no differential eyestrain effects, either in near points of accommodation and convergence or in focusing accuracy, between the three tasks. A small, age-dependent difference in dark focus was apparent after work in the job-rotation phase. It is concluded that the VDU work was not in itself conducive to eyestrain, and that, under the job conditions obtained in the present investigation, changes in the variables studied must be primarily attributed to other factors, such as age and workload on the day of testing.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Blomkvist, A. C. Lindgren, G. , and Östberg. O. (1980). Accommodation measurements with a laser-optometer. Part of an experiment on visual fatigue at the Swedish Telecommunications Services (Technical Report No. 78T). (In Swedish). Lulea. Sweden: University of Lulea.

Cakir, A. , Hart, D. I. , and Stewart, T. F. M. (1980). Visual display terminals: A manual covering ergonomics, workplace design, health, and safety, task organization. New York: Wiley.

Dainoff, M. I. , Happ, A. , and Crane, P. (1981). Visual fatigue and occupational stress in VDT operators. Human Factors, 23, 421–438.

De Groot, J. P. , and Kamphuis, A. (1983). Eyestrain in VDU users: Physical correlates and long-term effects. Human Factors, 25, 409–413.

Dixon, W. J. , and Brown, M. B. (Eds.) (1979). Biomedical computer programs. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Dreyer, V. , Jensen, S. , Pedersen, V. , Pedersen, E. , and Richter, A. (1981, November). Arbejdsmiljöet ved skärmterminaler (The CRT work environment). Tåstrup, Denmark: Teknologisk Institut, Arbejdspsykologi.

Grandjean, E. (1980). Ergonomics of VDUs: Review of present knowledge. In E. Grandjean and E. Vigliani (Eds.), Ergonomic aspects of visual display terminals (pp. 1–12). London: Taylor and Francis.

Hedman, L. , Mörtberg, C. , and Shahnavaz, H. (1982). Screen luminance and illuminance during VDU-work (Research Report No.7). (In Swedish). Lulea, Sweden: University of Lulea.

Johnson, C. A. (1976). Effects of luminance and stimulus distance on accommodation and visual resolution. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 66, 138–142.

10.

Knave, B., Voss, M., Wibom, R., Böös, S., Calissendorff, B., Carlsson, L., Hedström, L., Levin, M., Liden, C., Nyman, K.-G., Preisler, P., and Wahlberg, J. (1983, November). Prospective study on health conditions of 400 VDU workers and 150 controls. Paper presented at the International Scientific Conference on Ergonomic and Health Aspects in Modem Offices, Turin, Italy.

11.

Leibowitz, H. W. , and Hennessy, R. T. (1975). The laseroptometer and some implications for behavioral research. American Psychologist, 30, 349–352.

12.

Mourant, R. R. , Lakshmanan, R. , and Chantadisai, R. (1981). Visual fatigue and cathode ray tube display terminals. Human Factors, 23, 529–540.

13.

Nie, N. H. , Haidlai, C. , Hull, E. , Jenkins, I. G. , Steinbrenner, K. , and Bent, D. H. (Eds.) (1975). SPSS. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. New York: McGraw-Hill.

14.

Östberg, O. , and Hedman, L.-R. (1979). A field laser optometer for ergonomics of vision investigations (Technical Report, No. 52T:1979). Lulea, Sweden: University of Lulea.

15.

Östberg, O. , Powell, J. , and Blomkvist, A. C. (1980). Laser optometry in assessment of visual fatigue (Report, No. IT:1980). Lulea, Sweden: University of Lulea.

16.

Simonelli, N. M. (1983). The dark focus of the human eye and its relationship to age and visual defect. Human Factors, 25, 85–92.

17.

Söderberg, J., Gunnarsson, E., Calissendorff, B., Elofsson, S., and Nyman, K.-G. (1981, July).Mikroskoparbete III: Utredning av ögonbesvä och ögonförändringar hos cytologassistenter under tva olika mikroskopintensiva arbetsrutiner (Microscope work III: Investigation of visual problems and visual changes of cytology laboratory assistants during two work schemes involving different amounts of microscope work) (AMMF Report No. 25). Stockholm: Swedish Board of Occupational Health and Safety.

18.

Televerket . (1981, July). Rapport fran prov med datorstött nummerinformations-system (Report from tests with a computer-supported system for telephone directory-assistance) (Report No. Fn 81001). Stockholm: Swedish Telecommunications.