Suffered by 88% of those who use a computer for more than 3 hours a day, eyestrain is caused by direct and reflective glare, excessive lighting, improper ergonomics, low-quality or inappropriately adjusted video display terminals, uncorrected or improperly corrected vision, and insufficient or nonexistent eye care. Fatigue, errors, and lost days…

Discusses visual fatigue as a result of using video display units and reviews four typical methods of gathering self-report visual fatigue symptoms that appear within the human factors literature, including unstructured inquiries, forced-choice questionnaires, statements with Likert scales, and quasi-standardized health questionnaires. (33…

Surveys the human factors literature that focuses on self-report evaluations of visual fatigue resulting from use of a visual display unit (VDU). Highlights include viewing distance, color, user demographics, duration of VDU use, physiological measurements, and suggested guidelines for VDU use. (Author/LRW)

Discusses possible risks to workers using visual display terminals (VDTs), standards relating to VDTs, the provisions of the European Community Directive concerning minimum health and safety standards, how the standards are being interpreted in the United Kingdom, and implications for libraries. A workplace assessment questionnaire is appended.…