Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To clarify the incidence and character of dry eye in Japanese office workers engaging in long-term VDT (video display terminal) work. Methods: Enrolled were 1025 subjects [male: 542, female: 483; mean age: 36.0±10.0 (SD)] engaging in long-term VDT work (mean hrs. per day: 5.2±2.5 hours). A questionnaire regarding such as VDT working hours, eye symptoms and contact lens (CL) wear; measurement of fluorescein breakup time (BUT), scoring of corneal fluorescein staining [AD classification: (A: area; D: density, each from 0 to 3, depending on staining severity) and Schirmer I test (S-T) were successively preformed. A 10-minute wait was allowed before S-T and the BUT measurement in CL wearers (295 cases). All dry eye examinations were performed by ophthalmologists, and dry eye diagnosis was in accordance with Japanese criteria (BUT≤5 sec. or S-T≤5 mm/ 5 min., and corneal fluorescein score≥A1D1). When either eye was diagnosed as dry eye, the individual was classified as a dry eye subject. Results: Dry eye was diagnosed in 476 eyes (23.2%) of 320 subjects (31.2%); 407 of those eyes (85.5%), were diagnosed only on the basis of abnormal BUT value and abnormal fluorescein scores. Dry eye was diagnosed more in females [196 subjects (40.6%)] than in males [124 subjects (22.9%)], and more in CL wearers [120 subjects (40.7%)] than in non-CL wearers [200 cases (27.4%)]. Moreover, dry eye was diagnosed significantly more often in females irrespective of CL wear. In dry eye diagnosis, the corneal epithelial damage was mild (A1D1: 75.4%) and incidence of dry eye was unrelated to VDT working hours. Significant symptoms in the diagnosed dry eyes were injected eye, eye dryness, and lacrimation (p=0.001, 0.006, and 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: This study disclosed an unexpectedly high incidence of dry eye in office workers, and that the predominant dry eye type may be evaporative. Also, dry eye incidence was predominantly high in females and CL wearers.
Keywords: 354 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence • 367 contact lens • 376 cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye