AN INVESTIGATION OF COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME IN OPTOMETRY STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has forced the conventional face-to-face teaching method to online learning. Consequently, students spend more time in front of video display terminals (VDT) which is one of the risk factors for Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). To date, limited studies have investigated the prevalence of CVS and its associated risk factors during COVID-19. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CVS, its associated risk factors and the correlation between CVS presence with the year of study and CVS presence with gender among 85 undergraduate optometry students in Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences (KAHS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Methodology: This cross-sectional study recruited 85 undergraduate optometry students from KAHS, IIUM, who responded to a self-administered online questionnaire. A descriptive analysis was performed to calculate the prevalence of CVS. The Chi-square test and Fisher's Exact Test were conducted to measure the association between CVS and the variables of VDT usage. The phi-correlation coefficient (?) was conducted to find the association between CVS presence with gender and CVS presence with the year of study. Results: The prevalence of CVS was 68.2% among optometry students. There was no statistically significant association (p>0.05) between CVS and VDT usage variables. Gender and year of study showed a strong correlation with CVS presence (?>0.15). Conclusion: The presence of CVS in the study populations warrants further investigation so that measures can be implemented to alleviate this condition, and the learning process could proceed without dire consequences.