November 17, 2004 – Are you sitting in front of a computer screen for more than nine hours a day? You may be at increased risk of developing a visual disturbance and even glaucoma if you also have nearsightedness.
This is what a study tends to show1 published in the latest edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, conducted among 10,202 Japanese workers. They underwent a general medical and eye examination, and answered a questionnaire on their lifestyle, including personal and professional use of a computer over the past five years.
Five percent of the participants, or 522, had a visual field defect. Symptoms of glaucoma were observed in 165 of them (31.6% of 522), of which 141 were nearsighted (92% of 165).
Based on these data, the researchers concluded that there is a statistically significant interaction between the frequency of computer use and the presence of visual field disturbances. The risk of suffering from such problems, as well as glaucoma, would be even higher in heavy computer users with myopia.
It should be noted that men accounted for nearly 90% of all participants (9,170 out of 10,202). This situation is explained by the fact that the majority of the Japanese workforce is male.
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that attacks the optic nerve, often due to an abnormal rise in pressure in the eye. It causes gradual loss of the field of vision and, if poorly controlled, can even cause blindness.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to The Globe & Mail and AFP.
1. Tatemichi M, Nakano T, Tanaka K, Hayashi T, Nawa T, Miyamoto T, Hiro H, Sugita M, Possible association between heavy computer users and glaucomatous visual field abnormalities: a cross sectional study in Japanese workers, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, December 2004, Vol. 58, No. 12, 1021-27. To directly access the study: http://jech.bmjjournals.com [site consulté le 16 novembre 2004]
