Title : Prevalence of dry eye among university students and its associated factors
Abstract:
Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is one of the most prevalent eye conditions. DED can manifest as a variety of ocular symptoms, hence significantly impairing the quality of life of individuals.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of dry eye symptoms, as well as the behavior related to the use of artificial tears among Thai University Students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted. This questionnaire includes demographic characteristics, health determinants, and the Thai Ocular Surface Disease Index (T-OSDI) for diagnosing DED and artificial tear drop use.
Result: A total of 276 university students participated in the survey, with 61.23% were females and median age of 20.79 years old. The mean hours of the online lecture were 2.83 hours (SD= 2.93), and hours of total screen time were 10.21 hours (SD = 3.8) per day. The mean of hours of mask worn was 6.15 hours (SD = 3.95) per day. Our study revealed that out of 276 participants, severe dry eye was seen in 249 (90.22%) and moderate dry eye in 11 (3.99%) participants. The subscale that had the most significant impact were environmental triggers, vision-related function, and ocular symptoms, with the average of each subscale being 1.20, 1.16, and 1.01, respectively. Only 27.17% reported using artificial eye drops, with a mean of eye drops per day was 2.25 (SD = 2.42). Out of the participants using artificial eye drops, 15.15% did not check the expiration date. In multivariable analysis, factors associated with higher OSDI score were hours of the online lecture and hours of total screen time (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Our study reveals a high prevalence of severe dry eye disease among Thai university students, strongly associated with increased screen time and online lecture hours. Despite this, only a small fraction uses artificial eye drops, with some lacking awareness about the expiration date of these products and a proper number of teardrops per time. These findings suggest an urgent need for educational interventions for university students to improve dry eye symptoms and eye care practices.
