EFFECTIVENESS OF THE C-SHARP - REDUCING ERGONOMICS PROBLEMS AT VDTS

The use of visual display terminals (VDTs) has been associated with co mplaints of visual fatigue and body discomfort. In an effort to elimin ate some of these problems, an ergonomic emphasis has been placed on t he design of computer workstations. A new device, the C-Sharp, has bee n developed to help reduce some of the ergonomics problems related to long-term VDT usage. The C-Sharp was designed to alleviate visual stra in and temporary myopia by reducing the amount of muscular work associ ated with accommodation and convergence to near targets. It was also d esigned to eliminate glare. The present study is an ergonomics evaluat ion to determine whether the C-Sharp meets accepted standards and guid elines. Specifically, the objectives of the research are to determine the effects of the C-Sharp on operator reading and search performance, perceived comfort, body posture, and visual acuity. The C-Sharp is co mpared with mesh-glare filter and no-glare filter device conditions. S ubjects were blocked into three groups based on age and type of vision correction (with or without bifocals). Results indicate that the C-Sh arp meets the recommendations of the American National Standard for hu man factors engineering of visual display terminal workstations. No di fferences in objective performance were found between the three glare device conditions. The C-Sharp allowed bifocal wearers to keep their n ecks in natural postures rather than tilted backwards. Post-session fa r visual acuity worsened regardless of the device condition.