The Challenge of Teaching in the Digital Era: Computer Visual Syndrome in Basic Education Teachers

Abstract

Objective: At present, technology has become an indispensable tool in the educational field, especially for basic education teachers who face a growing digitalization of the educational environment. However, this change towards digital is not exempt from consequences, and one of the emerging challenges is computer visual syndrome, which can affect its quality of life. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the presence of computer visual syndrome in teachers of four Peruvian educational institutions of basic education.   Method: The research approach was quantitative; the design was non-experimental and the type was a cross-sectional descriptive. The sample was made up of 161 teachers who were given the Computer Visual Syndrome Questionnaire (CVS-Q), an instrument with adequate levels of reliability and validity.   Results: The results indicate that the level of computer visual syndrome of 47.8% of teachers was mild, 32.9% was moderate and 19.3% were severe. Similarly, it was found that the symptoms suffered by teachers were most frequently itching, burning or sensation of burning of the eyes, dry eye, feeling of having a foreign body in the eye and heaviness in the eyelids. On the other hand, it was found that visual computer syndrome was significantly associated with the daily digital device usage time, to have pre-existing eye diseases and the implementation of preventive strategies. Conclusions: In the present research, it was concluded that the predominant level of computer vision syndrome in teachers was low. Therefore, the implementation of awareness programs and the application of ergonomic measures to improve the visual health of teachers are suggested.