title: Prospective quantification of near work using the experience sampling method.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The assessment of individuals' near work by survey methods is challenging. The feasibility of the Experience Sampling Method to quantify daily visual tasks was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one subjects were randomly paged five times per day for 6 days. When paged, the subjects dialed into a telephone survey to report the nature, duration, and working distance of their visual activity at the time of the page.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 81.3% (512/630 pages). The individual response rates varied from 6.7% to 100% (median, 86.7%). Responses were grouped into 11 categories/activities for ease of analysis. Of 506 responses, the most common activity category was "distance tasks," which included driving and walking (N = 92). Other common responses included computer use (N = 68), reading (N = 66), household tasks, e.g., cleaning, cooking, and showering (N = 64), and watching television (N = 61). Activities with a mean distance < or =26 inches (arm length) were combined as near-work responses and accounted for 54.3% (258/475) of all responses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A modification of the Experience Sampling Method can be used to obtain a "real-time" sampling of visual activities.
authors.affiliation: New England College of Optometry, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. rahm@ncopost.ne-optometry.edu
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rah
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bullimore
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Mutti
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zadnik
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012494:Sampling Studies; D014937:Work