The most common occupational health complaints among computer users are visual symptoms and musculoskeletal disorders. The problems include eye discomfort, sustained pain in the neck and upper extremities, and regional disorders, such as wrist tendonitis, epicondylitis and trapezius muscle strain. Workplace risk factors for these physical symptoms include hours of computer use, sustained and/or awkward head and arm postures, poor lighting conditions, poor visual correction and work organizational factors.
The Institute for Work & Health carried out a systematic review to identify studies that evaluate the effects of a workplace intervention on visual or upper body musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders among computer users, and the findings are detailed in this report.