Ana Tauste1,2, Elena Ronda1,3,4,5, Valborg Baste6,7, Magne Bråtveit7, Bente E Moen8, María-Del-Mar Seguí Crespo9,10. 1. Public Health Research Group, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain. 2. Department of Ophthalmology (Qvision), Vithas Virgen del Mar Hospital, Almería, Spain. 3. Preventive Medicine and Public Health Area, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain. 4. CISAL (Centre for Research in Occupational Health), Barcelona, Spain. 5. CIBERESP (Biomedical Research Networking Centre, Epidemiology and Public Health), Madrid, Spain. 6. Uni Research Health, Bergen, Norway. 7. Research Group for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. 8. Centre for International Health, Deparment of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. 9. Public Health Research Group, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain. mm.segui@ua.es. 10. Department of Optics, Pharmacology and Anatomy, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, San Vicente del Raspeig, 03690, Alicante, Spain. mm.segui@ua.es.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To analyze differences in the ocular surface appearance and tear film status of contact lens wearers and non-wearers in a group of visual display terminals (VDT) workers and additionally to assess differences between lens materials. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 236 office workers, of whom 92 were contact lens wearers. Workers provided information on their contact lenses (conventional hydrogel, silicone hydrogel or rigid gas permeable lenses) and exposure to VDT at work. Ocular surface and tear film status were determined by the presence of bulbar, limbal and lid redness, lid roughness and corneal staining type, and by Schirmer's and tear break-up time tests (TBUT). A generalized linear model was used to calculate the crude (cRR) and age- and sex-adjusted (aRR) relative risk to measure the association between ocular surface and tear film abnormalities and contact lens use and type. RESULTS: The aRR of ocular surface abnormalities was higher in contact lens wearers compared to non-wearers: bulbar redness (aRR 1.69; 95% CI 1.25-2.30), limbal redness (aRR 2.87; 1.88-4.37), lid redness (aRR 2.53; 1.35-4.73) and lid roughness (aRR 7.03; 1.31-37.82). VDT exposure > 4 h/day increased wearers' risk of limbal and lid redness. Conventional hydrogel wearers had the highest risk of ocular surface abnormalities, followed by silicone hydrogel wearers. Both contact and non-contact lens wearers had a high prevalence of altered TBUT (77.3 and 75.7% respectively) and Schirmer (51.8 and 41.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Regular contact lens use during VDT exposure at work increases risk of bulbar, limbal and lid redness, and lid roughness, especially in soft contact lens wearers. The high prevalence of altered TBUT and Schirmer's results in all participants suggests that VDT use greatly affects tear film characteristics.
PURPOSE: To analyze differences in the ocular surface appearance and tear film status of contact lens wearers and non-wearers in a group of visual display terminals (VDT) workers and additionally to assess differences between lens materials. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 236 office workers, of whom 92 were contact lens wearers. Workers provided information on their contact lenses (conventional hydrogel, silicone hydrogel or rigid gas permeable lenses) and exposure to VDT at work. Ocular surface and tear film status were determined by the presence of bulbar, limbal and lid redness, lid roughness and corneal staining type, and by Schirmer's and tear break-up time tests (TBUT). A generalized linear model was used to calculate the crude (cRR) and age- and sex-adjusted (aRR) relative risk to measure the association between ocular surface and tear film abnormalities and contact lens use and type. RESULTS: The aRR of ocular surface abnormalities was higher in contact lens wearers compared to non-wearers: bulbar redness (aRR 1.69; 95% CI 1.25-2.30), limbal redness (aRR 2.87; 1.88-4.37), lid redness (aRR 2.53; 1.35-4.73) and lid roughness (aRR 7.03; 1.31-37.82). VDT exposure > 4 h/day increased wearers' risk of limbal and lid redness. Conventional hydrogel wearers had the highest risk of ocular surface abnormalities, followed by silicone hydrogel wearers. Both contact and non-contact lens wearers had a high prevalence of altered TBUT (77.3 and 75.7% respectively) and Schirmer (51.8 and 41.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Regular contact lens use during VDT exposure at work increases risk of bulbar, limbal and lid redness, and lid roughness, especially in soft contact lens wearers. The high prevalence of altered TBUT and Schirmer's results in all participants suggests that VDT use greatly affects tear film characteristics.
Authors: R L Terry; C M Schnider; B A Holden; R Cornish; T Grant; D Sweeney; D La Hood; A Back Journal: Optom Vis Sci Date: 1993-03 Impact factor: 1.973