Self-Reported Computer Vision Syndrome among Thai University Students in Virtual Classrooms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, computer vision syndrome (CVS) related to online classrooms were unavoidable. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the prevalence, characteristics and associated factors of CVS. A total of 527 students who were currently studying in a virtual classroom (70.40% female, mean (standard deviation; SD) age of 20.04 (2.17) years) were included. The prevalence of CVS assessed by an online CVS-Questionnaire was 81.0% (427/527). Comparing with those in the period before the online study, an increase in screen time (interquartile range) in students with and without CVS was 3 (0−3) and 2 (1−5) h, respectively. Overall, 516 students (97.9%) experienced at least one symptom. The most frequent symptom in CVS subjects was eye pain (96.5%). The most intense symptoms were the feeling of worsening eyesight (15.9%). The factors associated with CVS were female (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.010), atopic diseases (p = 0.020), prior ocular symptoms (p < 0.001), astigmatism (p = 0.033), distance from display <20 cm (p = 0.023), presence of glare or reflection on screen (p < 0.001), low screen brightness (p = 0.045), sleep duration (p = 0.030), inadequate break time between classes (p < 0.001) and increased screen time usage during online study (p < 0.001). Recommendations to prevent CVS based on the adjustable factors might reduce the burden of online study.

Keywords: COVID-19 impact; computer vison syndrome; digital eye strain; digital screen; online study; video display terminal; virtual classroom; visual display terminal.

Figure 1

(A) Bar chart illustrating the frequency of ocular and visual symptoms according to CVS-Q among students with CVS. (B) Bar chart illustrating the severity of ocular and visual symptoms according to CVS-Q among students with CVS. Abbreviations: CVS = computer vision syndrome; CVS-Q = computer vision syndrome questionnaire.

Figure 2

Box plots comparing screen time between the non-CVS and CVS groups: before and during online study period, and the extended time after online study period. Abbreviations: CVS = computer vision syndrome.