Rao B V, Bandopadhyay S, Sharma Vijay K, Mishra Avinash, Ambiya Vikas, Sharma Neeraj
Senior Adviser (Ophthalmology), Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, India.
Senior Adviser (Ophthalmology) & Cornea & Refractive Surgeon, Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, India.
Med J Armed Forces India. 2022 Aug 1;80(5):509-15. doi: 10.1016/j.mjafi.2022.04.014.
Lockdown during COVID-19 led to teachers and children shifting to online classes, using visual display terminals (VDTs) for education, resulting in increased screen time. The present study was done to assess and understand the nature and magnitude of the problem and to suggest preventive or remedial measures.
A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted. The questionnaire was prepared for an online survey (using Google Forms) and circulated among school children belonging to different schools across India using multiple groups on social media.
A total of 3327 participants from 46 schools across India participated in the survey. We found a marked rise in cumulative screen time for both teachers and students before and during the lockdown. There was a threefold increase in the number of participants with a cumulative screen time 6 h or more compared to the pre-COVID era. Teachers (older participants) had worse symptom scores than students. Larger screens, like televisions, were better VDTs compared to smartphones, tablets, or laptops.
School administrators and policymakers should pay due attention to institutionalizing the guidelines about class duration, appropriate screens, and stipulating break duration during online classes, which will continue to remain the predominant mode of education for teachers and students alike, at least in the near future.
新冠疫情期间的封锁导致教师和学生转向在线课程，使用视觉显示终端（VDT）进行学习，从而增加了屏幕使用时间。本研究旨在评估和了解该问题的性质及严重程度，并提出预防或补救措施。
开展了一项基于问卷的横断面研究。问卷用于在线调查（使用谷歌表单），并通过社交媒体上的多个群组在印度各地不同学校的学生中进行分发。
印度46所学校的3327名参与者参与了此次调查。我们发现，封锁前和封锁期间教师和学生的累计屏幕使用时间均显著增加。与新冠疫情之前相比，累计屏幕使用时间达6小时及以上的参与者数量增加了两倍。教师（年龄较大的参与者）的症状评分比学生更差。与智能手机、平板电脑或笔记本电脑相比，像电视这样的大屏幕作为视觉显示终端效果更好。
学校管理人员和政策制定者应适当关注将在线课程的时长、合适的屏幕以及课间休息时长等指导方针制度化，至少在不久的将来，在线课程仍将是教师和学生主要的教育模式。
