Analysis of the characteristics of electronic equipment usage distance for common users

AIM: To analyse and characterize the pattern of working and mobile phone usage distances (MPUD) for common users of electronic devices and computers. METHODS: Transversal descriptive study consisting of a screening campaign evaluating the visual status of different professionals working with computers or electronic devices more than 2h per day. A total of 100 healthy patients with a mean age of 41.2 (range: 20-62) years were revised and subdivided according to job subgroups. A battery of screening tests was performed to all participants in a single session at the working environment of each of them, including measurement of the working distance (WD), arm length, and MPUD. RESULTS: The WD was significantly longer than MPUD (61.22±12.35 vs 32.22±6.35 cm; P<0.001). Likewise, MPUD was significantly shorter than the arm length (74.44±4.65 cm; P<0.001). A total of 4% (4/100) and 91% (91/100) of patients had a WD and MPUD of 40 cm or below, respectively. A weak although statistically significant correlation was found between WD and MPUD (r=0.387, P