There are three main health risks commonly associated with DSE use.
Musculoskeletal disorders (or MSDs) refer to injury, damage or disorder of the joints or other tissues in the body – think of them as ‘aches, pains and strains’. Common examples include back and neck pain, but MSDs can occur anywhere in the body. Work-related upper limb disorders is a sub-category of MSDs and includes various repetitive strain injury conditions.
Work-related stress, depression or anxiety causes more cases of work-related ill-health than anything else, and most working days lost overall. Pressure of work is the biggest cause of work-related stress.
Taken together, MSDs and work-related stress account for roughly 80% of all work-related ill-health.
Using DSE is a visually demanding thing to do. While far less likely to lead to time off work, visual fatigue involves a range of symptoms including blurred vision, headaches and sore, dry or tired eyes.