BACKGROUND: Extensive literature in ergonomics and optometry has indicated
that computer use is closely associated with visual problems. Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
requires a substantial effort on behalf of the visual system. The manifestations of visual
fatigue phenomena may affect the working behavior and the human-system interaction.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this survey is to identify the normal working
conditions and how the eventual visual fatigue phenomena are able to influence the working
behavior of CAD users.
METHODS: A questionnaire was created and submitted to a sample of 150
university students, who attend the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Pisa
(Italy).
RESULTS: The questionnaire results show that university students spend on
average 7 hours per day at the computer for CAD drafting. Most of the participants work in
strongly lit environments, with high brightness screens and negative polarity. Such
conditions cause high contrasts in luminance, especially between screen and surfaces that
fall within the field of vision. The results show that 135 out of 150 students report
visual fatigue during long CAD sessions, which in most cases leads to difficulty in
continuing the activity and changing usual working behavior.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the questionnaire show that the university
students work in highly variable lighting conditions and with little attention on the
luminance distribution on the field of view. This has highlighted the importance, for VDT
workstations, of not limiting the risk analysis to the postural ergonomics (how usually
occurs) but extend it to the workplace as a whole, analyzing also the ergonomics of
vision, which involves different consideration on the natural and artificial lighting of
the workplace and on the characteristics of the display.
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