Computer Vision Syndrome and its Risk Factors among Medical Students of a Tertiary Care Centre in Odisha: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The enormous use of digital device like Computer, tablets and android mobiles though making our lifestyle much easier, but leading to many physical ailments like Computer Vision Syndrome(CVS) . The young generation is more addicted to this digital world, hence affected a lot from this CVS.  Objective: To determine the prevalence of CVS, associated risk factors and to assess the preventive measures taken by undergraduate medical students while using computers.  Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 477 undergraduate medical students in IMS & SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. The data were collected by Epicollect-5 and analysed by using SPSS v21 software. Appropriate statistical tests were applied for observing the significant associations with p value <0.05.  Results: The prevalence of CVS was found to be 83.2% among the undergraduate students. The final year students(49.8%) reported more symptoms of asthenopia as compared to 2^nd year(15.6%)  and 3^rd year(34.5%) MBBS students. The most significant risk factors related to excessive computer use were online classes, high brightness of the screen and very close sitting before computer. Conclusion: It is a necessity to create awareness regarding computer vision syndrome and its preventive measures among all healthcare personnel.