- Email: [email protected]
The Eye-Care PC
ITBM-RBM 26 (2005) 159–162 http://france.elsevier.com/direct/RBMRET/
Note technique
The Eye-Care PC Un protecteur oculaire pour les utilisateurs de PC Chua Yin Yin Paulin a, Sadasivan Puthusserypady a,*, Tan Lee Suang b a
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576, Singapore b Electronics Department, Institute of Technical Education (ITE), West Dover, Singapore Received 25 January 2005; accepted 1 April 2005 Available online 24 May 2005
Abstract Myopia is a serious consequence of continuous usage of the computers for long hours and inappropriate sitting distance from the monitor. The proposed Eye-Care PC will help to reduce the child’s risk of suffering from myopia and allow parents to monitor their child’s computer etiquette conveniently. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. Résumé La myopie est une conséquence sérieuse de l’usage des ordinateurs sur de longues périodes et lorsque l’on est assis trop près. Le dispositif proposé est destiné à réduire le risque de myopie des enfants en fournissant à leurs parents un moyen de contrôle simple de l’usage correct de l’ordinateur. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. Keywords: Myopia; Computer etiquette; Eye-care Mots clés : Myopie ; Utilisation des ordinateur ; Prévention
1. Introduction Myopia—commonly known as nearsightedness—is a vision condition in which a person cannot see distant objects clearly unless corrective glasses are worn. Nearsightedness is often caused by focusing on close-up objects such as a book, a computer or a television for long periods of time. The result is that the eyes get stuck (because the focusing muscles in the eyes called the “ciliary muscles” get locked up) in the close-up focus position and can no longer focus on distant objects. Once it happens, the eyes cannot go back to the previous condition, permanently losing the ability to see distant objects clearly without glasses [1]. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Puthusserypady). 1297-9562/$ - see front matter © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.rbmret.2005.04.001
Myopia is a very common vision condition that affects the human population around the world. It has been found that nearly 30% of the American population is myopic and the situation is worse in many Asian countries. Given the prevalence of ’late onset myopia’, the fraction of the adult population which is seriously myopic might easily reach 80% [2]. Development of myopia in young children is a cause for concern because the earlier in life a child develops myopia; the higher is the child’s tendency of developing severe myopia later. It has been found that the problem of myopia starts well before children enter school. In a recent article by BBC news, it was said that a major cause of degradation in eyesight among university students was intensive reading [3]. In another article [4] it was reported that a person’s lifestyle was for most parts responsible for myopia. Myopia affects not just young children and students but also many working adults. It should not
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be thought of as merely an inconvenience of having to wear reading glasses, as severe myopia may lead to complications and even blindness. Thus, many countries are taking measures to reduce the onset and growth of myopia. What can be done to prevent nearsightedness in children? The key step is to diagnose the problem as early as possible and then take remedial measures to avoid further deterioration. Whenever near-work (working at a close range with objects) is done without the protection of reading glasses, it is important to: (i) hold the work as far away as possible, (ii) use as much light as possible in order to reduce the size of the pupil and consequently the accommodation [1], (iii) look into the distance frequently to relax the accommodation. Moreover, in order to control the drastic rise in number of people suffering from myopia, it is important to educate public and monitor school children on adopting proper vision habits; especially the computer etiquette. The proposed Eye-Care PC provides a thorough solution to this problem by allowing parents to conveniently monitor their child’s computer etiquette, enabling them to ensure proper behavior even if they are not around physically; thus reducing the child’s risk of suffering from myopia.
2. Current situation The Health Promotion Board [5] has introduced the “Take Vision Break” program (shown in Fig. 1) to prompt the user to take a 5 min break after spending 40 min in the computer by displaying a pop-up message on the monitor as shown in Fig. 2. However, this is not effective as the child can choose to ignore the message. If the child ignores the warnings and
continues using the PC for long hours, he is likely to develop myopia.
3. Proposed scheme Proposed solution for the current situation is shown in Fig. 3. A warning message of “Please take a 5 min break” will be displayed at every 40 min interval. The system ensures that the child takes a compulsory 5 min break by entering into a secure mode for 5 min. The secure mode has a prefixed screen image that blankets the entire computer screen, preventing the child from continuing with the work. The child has a maximum of 120 min to use the PC before a warning message displays to save the work within 3 min. The child’s account will then be deactivated after 3 min and a SMS will be sent to alert the parents that the child has exceeded the recommended time to use the PC. Similarly, when the child sits too close to the PC, a warning message of “Keep a distance away from the screen (at least 45 cm)” will be displayed. If the child ignores the warning message for three times, a SMS will be sent to alert the parents and the child’s account will be deactivated. Only the parents have the authority to reactivate this account (it can be done via SMS). If the parents are at work, reactivation of the account can also be done through Internet SMS. Parents can also choose to deactivate the child’s account anytime via SMS if they feel that their child has been using the PC for too long. Thus, by keeping a close watch on the child’s computer etiquette, the proposed Eye-Care PC can help to reduce the child’s risk of suffering from myopia.
Fig. 1. Current situation.
C.Y.Y. Paulin et al. / ITBM-RBM 26 (2005) 159–162
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Fig. 2. “Take Vision Break” pop-up message.
4. Hardware and software requirements
5. Conclusion
The proposed scheme requires the following hardware and software components for implementation. A photoelectric proximity sensor (model VTE 18-4N 4212) with a maximum scanning distance of 800 mm is mounted to the monitor. The sensor is used to sense the distance between the PC user and the monitor. The Siemens TC35 GSM (900/1800 MHz) modem is connected to the serial port of the PC to realize the communication between the mobile phone and the computer, thus enabling SMS to be sent to or received from the parents to continually monitor and control the status of PC. A Biometric mouse is used to register user’s thumbprint to verify user authorization. The software is designed using Visual Basic. It controls the GSM modem, I/O card, photoelectric sensor to realize the function of communication, desktop security, timing and so on. In addition, it provides a friendly interface to the users.
Nearsightedness (myopia) was once thought to be genetic—inherited from parents—but it is now clear that this hypothesis is only partially correct. Countless modern studies leave little doubt that nearsightedness is the result of doing more near-work than our eyes were made for, and people are susceptible in degrees that vary with their heredity. Some people are more prone to nearsightedness than others, but the cause (except in cases of disease) is the strain of excess near-work. Consequently, there’s good reason to believe that nearsightedness can be prevented by good vision habits. Accordingly, in this work, a system is developed that helps to reduce the child’s risk of suffering from myopia by ensuring proper computer etiquette. The child is forced to take a compulsory 5 min break after every 40 min of PC usage and has only a maximum of 120 min to use the PC. In addition, the child is ensured to sit at a distance of at least 45 cm
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C.Y.Y. Paulin et al. / ITBM-RBM 26 (2005) 159–162
Fig. 3. Proposed scheme.
away from the monitor. Using the proposed scheme, people (young or old) who are not nearsighted can avoid it, people who are slightly nearsighted (20/60) can recover from it, people who are quite nearsighted can improve and, more importantly, prevent their eyesight from worsening. 5.1. Evaluation plan A trial run was performed of this proposed “Eye-Care PC” system involving many families with children. At the end of the trial run parents and children were surveyed to determine the effectiveness of the system in meeting the project’s objectives. Of the 130 families that participated in the trial run, 92% of them were in favor of the system and have expressed their interest in buying the product when it is launched in the market. 5.2. Originality of project Fig. 2 shows the pop-up message displayed when the “Take Vision Break” program developed by the Health Promotion Board is installed in the PC [5]. As compared to this program where only a pop-up message will be displayed after every 30 min, the “Eye-Care PC” system further ensures that proper computer etiquette, e.g. sitting at an appropriate distance form the monitor, is adopted by deactivating the child’s account after three warning messages have been displayed and sending a SMS to alert the parents. In this way, the parents will be able to monitor their child and can ensure that proper computer etiquette is adopted even if they are outstation.
5.3. Recommendations One possible recommendation to improve this work is to use the web-cam system as suggested by a number of parents who have involved in the trial run. The parents can then be double assured that their child has adopted proper computer etiquette. The software development kit used in the implementation is quite basic; therefore, the authentication process was done only once. This can be improved by implementing continuous scanning on the child’s thumbprint, which will carry out constant authentication. Once a different thumbprint is scanned, the PC system will automatically be reloaded. The new user will then have to identify and authenticate his/her thumbprint. Another suggested improvement of this device could be an increase in the flexibility of the settings. This will allow the device to be easily adaptable to the unique situation of each family.
References [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The International Myopia Prevention Association. http: //www.preventmyopia.org. http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/myopia/prevalence.htm. News BBC. “University Damaging to Eyesight”, http: //www.newsvote.bbc.co.uk. NewScientist.com. “Lifestyle causes myopia, not genes”, http: //www.newscientist.com. National Myopia Prevention Programme. http://www.hpb.gov.sg/ hpb/pro/pro.asp.
Note technique
The Eye-Care PC Un protecteur oculaire pour les utilisateurs de PC Chua Yin Yin Paulin a, Sadasivan Puthusserypady a,*, Tan Lee Suang b a
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576, Singapore b Electronics Department, Institute of Technical Education (ITE), West Dover, Singapore Received 25 January 2005; accepted 1 April 2005 Available online 24 May 2005
Abstract Myopia is a serious consequence of continuous usage of the computers for long hours and inappropriate sitting distance from the monitor. The proposed Eye-Care PC will help to reduce the child’s risk of suffering from myopia and allow parents to monitor their child’s computer etiquette conveniently. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. Résumé La myopie est une conséquence sérieuse de l’usage des ordinateurs sur de longues périodes et lorsque l’on est assis trop près. Le dispositif proposé est destiné à réduire le risque de myopie des enfants en fournissant à leurs parents un moyen de contrôle simple de l’usage correct de l’ordinateur. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. Keywords: Myopia; Computer etiquette; Eye-care Mots clés : Myopie ; Utilisation des ordinateur ; Prévention
1. Introduction Myopia—commonly known as nearsightedness—is a vision condition in which a person cannot see distant objects clearly unless corrective glasses are worn. Nearsightedness is often caused by focusing on close-up objects such as a book, a computer or a television for long periods of time. The result is that the eyes get stuck (because the focusing muscles in the eyes called the “ciliary muscles” get locked up) in the close-up focus position and can no longer focus on distant objects. Once it happens, the eyes cannot go back to the previous condition, permanently losing the ability to see distant objects clearly without glasses [1]. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Puthusserypady). 1297-9562/$ - see front matter © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.rbmret.2005.04.001
Myopia is a very common vision condition that affects the human population around the world. It has been found that nearly 30% of the American population is myopic and the situation is worse in many Asian countries. Given the prevalence of ’late onset myopia’, the fraction of the adult population which is seriously myopic might easily reach 80% [2]. Development of myopia in young children is a cause for concern because the earlier in life a child develops myopia; the higher is the child’s tendency of developing severe myopia later. It has been found that the problem of myopia starts well before children enter school. In a recent article by BBC news, it was said that a major cause of degradation in eyesight among university students was intensive reading [3]. In another article [4] it was reported that a person’s lifestyle was for most parts responsible for myopia. Myopia affects not just young children and students but also many working adults. It should not
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C.Y.Y. Paulin et al. / ITBM-RBM 26 (2005) 159–162
be thought of as merely an inconvenience of having to wear reading glasses, as severe myopia may lead to complications and even blindness. Thus, many countries are taking measures to reduce the onset and growth of myopia. What can be done to prevent nearsightedness in children? The key step is to diagnose the problem as early as possible and then take remedial measures to avoid further deterioration. Whenever near-work (working at a close range with objects) is done without the protection of reading glasses, it is important to: (i) hold the work as far away as possible, (ii) use as much light as possible in order to reduce the size of the pupil and consequently the accommodation [1], (iii) look into the distance frequently to relax the accommodation. Moreover, in order to control the drastic rise in number of people suffering from myopia, it is important to educate public and monitor school children on adopting proper vision habits; especially the computer etiquette. The proposed Eye-Care PC provides a thorough solution to this problem by allowing parents to conveniently monitor their child’s computer etiquette, enabling them to ensure proper behavior even if they are not around physically; thus reducing the child’s risk of suffering from myopia.
2. Current situation The Health Promotion Board [5] has introduced the “Take Vision Break” program (shown in Fig. 1) to prompt the user to take a 5 min break after spending 40 min in the computer by displaying a pop-up message on the monitor as shown in Fig. 2. However, this is not effective as the child can choose to ignore the message. If the child ignores the warnings and
continues using the PC for long hours, he is likely to develop myopia.
3. Proposed scheme Proposed solution for the current situation is shown in Fig. 3. A warning message of “Please take a 5 min break” will be displayed at every 40 min interval. The system ensures that the child takes a compulsory 5 min break by entering into a secure mode for 5 min. The secure mode has a prefixed screen image that blankets the entire computer screen, preventing the child from continuing with the work. The child has a maximum of 120 min to use the PC before a warning message displays to save the work within 3 min. The child’s account will then be deactivated after 3 min and a SMS will be sent to alert the parents that the child has exceeded the recommended time to use the PC. Similarly, when the child sits too close to the PC, a warning message of “Keep a distance away from the screen (at least 45 cm)” will be displayed. If the child ignores the warning message for three times, a SMS will be sent to alert the parents and the child’s account will be deactivated. Only the parents have the authority to reactivate this account (it can be done via SMS). If the parents are at work, reactivation of the account can also be done through Internet SMS. Parents can also choose to deactivate the child’s account anytime via SMS if they feel that their child has been using the PC for too long. Thus, by keeping a close watch on the child’s computer etiquette, the proposed Eye-Care PC can help to reduce the child’s risk of suffering from myopia.
Fig. 1. Current situation.
C.Y.Y. Paulin et al. / ITBM-RBM 26 (2005) 159–162
161
Fig. 2. “Take Vision Break” pop-up message.
4. Hardware and software requirements
5. Conclusion
The proposed scheme requires the following hardware and software components for implementation. A photoelectric proximity sensor (model VTE 18-4N 4212) with a maximum scanning distance of 800 mm is mounted to the monitor. The sensor is used to sense the distance between the PC user and the monitor. The Siemens TC35 GSM (900/1800 MHz) modem is connected to the serial port of the PC to realize the communication between the mobile phone and the computer, thus enabling SMS to be sent to or received from the parents to continually monitor and control the status of PC. A Biometric mouse is used to register user’s thumbprint to verify user authorization. The software is designed using Visual Basic. It controls the GSM modem, I/O card, photoelectric sensor to realize the function of communication, desktop security, timing and so on. In addition, it provides a friendly interface to the users.
Nearsightedness (myopia) was once thought to be genetic—inherited from parents—but it is now clear that this hypothesis is only partially correct. Countless modern studies leave little doubt that nearsightedness is the result of doing more near-work than our eyes were made for, and people are susceptible in degrees that vary with their heredity. Some people are more prone to nearsightedness than others, but the cause (except in cases of disease) is the strain of excess near-work. Consequently, there’s good reason to believe that nearsightedness can be prevented by good vision habits. Accordingly, in this work, a system is developed that helps to reduce the child’s risk of suffering from myopia by ensuring proper computer etiquette. The child is forced to take a compulsory 5 min break after every 40 min of PC usage and has only a maximum of 120 min to use the PC. In addition, the child is ensured to sit at a distance of at least 45 cm
162
C.Y.Y. Paulin et al. / ITBM-RBM 26 (2005) 159–162
Fig. 3. Proposed scheme.
away from the monitor. Using the proposed scheme, people (young or old) who are not nearsighted can avoid it, people who are slightly nearsighted (20/60) can recover from it, people who are quite nearsighted can improve and, more importantly, prevent their eyesight from worsening. 5.1. Evaluation plan A trial run was performed of this proposed “Eye-Care PC” system involving many families with children. At the end of the trial run parents and children were surveyed to determine the effectiveness of the system in meeting the project’s objectives. Of the 130 families that participated in the trial run, 92% of them were in favor of the system and have expressed their interest in buying the product when it is launched in the market. 5.2. Originality of project Fig. 2 shows the pop-up message displayed when the “Take Vision Break” program developed by the Health Promotion Board is installed in the PC [5]. As compared to this program where only a pop-up message will be displayed after every 30 min, the “Eye-Care PC” system further ensures that proper computer etiquette, e.g. sitting at an appropriate distance form the monitor, is adopted by deactivating the child’s account after three warning messages have been displayed and sending a SMS to alert the parents. In this way, the parents will be able to monitor their child and can ensure that proper computer etiquette is adopted even if they are outstation.
5.3. Recommendations One possible recommendation to improve this work is to use the web-cam system as suggested by a number of parents who have involved in the trial run. The parents can then be double assured that their child has adopted proper computer etiquette. The software development kit used in the implementation is quite basic; therefore, the authentication process was done only once. This can be improved by implementing continuous scanning on the child’s thumbprint, which will carry out constant authentication. Once a different thumbprint is scanned, the PC system will automatically be reloaded. The new user will then have to identify and authenticate his/her thumbprint. Another suggested improvement of this device could be an increase in the flexibility of the settings. This will allow the device to be easily adaptable to the unique situation of each family.
References [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The International Myopia Prevention Association. http: //www.preventmyopia.org. http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/m/myopia/prevalence.htm. News BBC. “University Damaging to Eyesight”, http: //www.newsvote.bbc.co.uk. NewScientist.com. “Lifestyle causes myopia, not genes”, http: //www.newscientist.com. National Myopia Prevention Programme. http://www.hpb.gov.sg/ hpb/pro/pro.asp.