Assessment of risk factors on eye dryness in young adults using visual display device in both contact lens wearers and non-wearers

Comfort advantages demonstrated with a novel soft contact lens: A randomized clinical trial

Purpose

To compare comfort outcomes between a novel daily disposable contact lens - designed to maximize comfort - and an established control. The hypothesis was that the test lens would be superior to the control for four key comfort questionnaire items: end-of-day comfort, all-day comfort, visual comfort while driving at night, and reduction of ocular fatigue from digital device use.

Methods

This randomized, controlled, subject-masked, parallel-arm study enrolled young (18-39 years), healthy, myopic, contact lens wearers with an up-to-date prescription at 19 investigational sites in the United States. Subjects wore either the test (ACUVUE® OASYS MAX 1-Day, senofilcon A) or control (Dailies Total1®, delefilcon A) lens for 2 weeks of bilateral, daily disposable wear before completing comfort questionnaire items, each of which had 5 or 6 response options. For each item, the odds ratio for positive (top-two-box) responses was estimated from a binomial generalized linear mixed model. A gatekeeping approach combined with the truncated Hochberg procedure was used for multiplicity adjustment.

Results

Of 344 enrolled subjects, 342 subjects were randomized and dispensed lenses, with 171 subjects per lens group. Among the 342 subjects, 68.4% were female, 83.6% were White, and the average age was 29.7 (±5.53) years. The test lens was statistically superior to the control for all four comfort questions: odds ratios (test vs. control) were 2.01 (95% CI: 1.25, 3.22) for end-of-day comfort, 2.17 (alpha-adjusted CI: 1.30, 3.64) for all-day comfort, 2.00 (alpha-adjusted CI: 1.18, 3.41) for reducing ocular fatigue from digital device use, and 1.77 (95% CI: 1.04, 3.02) for comfortable vision while driving at night.

Conclusion

The test lens demonstrated statistically superior physical and visual comfort, as measured by the four comfort endpoints, compared to the control. The test lens had significantly greater odds of favorable responses for all comfort items compared to the control.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Dry Eye Disease in Association With the Increased Use of Electronic Devices Among University Students in Western Saudi Arabia

AIM

Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent ocular condition that significantly impacts individuals' quality of life and performance. It is charac-terized by the instability of the tear film, which causes ocular surface inflamma-tion and damage that leads to ocular symptoms. However, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of DED and identify associated risk factors among university students in western Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A total of 402 university students participated in this study. The sample size was determined using Raosoft software (Raosoft, Inc., Seattle, WA), considering an estimated student population of 20,000. Data were collected between January and March 2023 through an online questionnaire distributed to the participants. The questionnaire comprised three sections, covering general information, behaviors related to digital device (DD) use, and the validated Arabic version of the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. OSDI scores were calculated, and the severity of DED was categorized using established cutoff points.

RESULTS

Among the 402 university students who took part in the survey, the majority (63.2%) were aged between 21 and 25 years, with females representing the dominant gender (72.9%). Notably, 90.8% of participants reported using DDs at bedtime. Over 60% of students had been using DDs for more than 10 years, and approximately 61.7% reported having more than six hours of daily screen time. Mobile devices were the most commonly used electronic devices (67.2%), and TikTok emerged as the most frequently used application (35.6%). Based on the OSDI criteria, 21.1% of students had mild DED symptoms, 14.9% had moderate symptoms, and 38.6% had severe symptoms. Hence, the prevalence of students exhibiting positive DED symptoms was 74.6%, while 25.4% were negative.

Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Dry Eye Disease Among Children and Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Dry eye disease (DED) is characterized by loss of homeostasis of the tear film or failure to produce sufficient amounts of tears to moisturize the eyes. The condition has been associated with several preventable risk factors.  Objective: The objective of this study is to calculate the prevalence of dry eye and determine the associated risk factors among adults and children in Saudi Arabia.  Methods: This is a cross-sectional study targeting all Saudi populations, including all the regions of Saudi Arabia. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and the five-item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) were used for data collection. Data were collected using an online form that was distributed through social media.  Results: A total of 541 responses were analyzed. The OSDI scores showed that females represented 70.9%, and the age group of 20-40 years represented 59.7%. The prevalence of DED, including all severity levels, was 74.9%. The distribution across levels was as follows: mild cases at 26.2%, moderate cases at 18.2%, and severe at 30.4%. On the other hand, DEQ-5 has shown a prevalence of 37% among the pediatric age group. Several risk factors have been significantly associated with adults' dry eye, including low humidity (P-value=0.002), reading, driving, or watching electronic screens for extended durations (P-value=0.019), autoimmune diseases (P-value=0.033), and undergoing eye procedures (P-value-0.013).  Conclusion: The current study reports a high prevalence rate of dry eyes among the Saudi population. Reading, driving, and using electronic screens for an extended period were found to be associated with the severity of DED. Prospective studies should focus on the epidemiology of the disease, which will provide evidence for better preventive and therapeutic measures.