Symptoms in a population of contact lens and noncontact lens wearers under different environmental conditions.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate ocular symptoms related to dryness in an adult population of contact lens (CL) and non contact lens wearers (n-CL) using video display terminals (VDT) for different periods of time under different indoor conditions related to air conditioning (AC) and heating units (HU) exposure.


METHODS
A questionnaire was distributed to 334 people within a university population of which 258 were part of the n-CL group and 76 of the CL wearers to assess symptoms of ocular discomfort potentially related to dryness. Only soft contact lens (SCL) wearers (n = 71) were included for further statistical analysis because of the reduced number of people wearing other lens types. A 2:1 match by gender group of 142 subjects in the n-CL group was used as a control sample.


RESULTS
There was a marked difference between the prevalence of symptoms and the way they are reported by CL and n-CL wearers. Red eye, itching, and scratchiness are more common among CL wearers, but the difference is statistically significant only for scratchiness (p < 0.01, chi(2)). The vast majority of subjects who reported symptoms often and at the end of the day are significantly more prevalent among CL wearers (p < 0.01, chi(2)). Gender differences were also encountered. Female CL wearers reported more scratchiness than males in the n-CL wearing group (p = 0.029, chi(2)) and in the CL group (p < 0.008, chi(2)). Females wearing CL reported symptoms of red eye (p = 0.043, chi(2)) and scratchiness (p < 0.001, chi(2)) more significantly than those in the n-CL group. Within the CL group, the prevalence of symptoms occurring sometimes or often and at the end of the day was higher among females (p < 0.001, chi(2)). The use of VDT was associated with a higher level of scratchiness among CL wearers (p < 0.05, chi(2)). The number of hours working with VDTs seemed to be associated with an increase in the prevalence of burning sensation in the CL group (p < 0.01, chi(2)), whereas symptoms like red eye and scratchiness also increased significantly among n-CL wearers. Compared to n-CL wearers, all symptoms increase in CL wearers in environments with AC and HU, except excessive tearing. However, these differences are only statistically significant for scratchiness.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that people who wear soft CL and work with VDTs for longer periods of time are more likely to develop symptoms like eye burning and scratchiness than n-CL wearers. This risk could be higher for women than men. Scratchiness and the appearance of symptoms near the end of the day are typically associated with ocular discomfort during CL wear in this sample, and clinicians should question their patients about these symptoms to anticipate serious discomfort.
González-Méijome
José Manuel
JM
Department of Physics (Optometry), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. jgmeijome@fisica.uminho.pt
Parafita
Manuel A
MA
Yebra-Pimentel
Eva
E
Almeida
José B
JB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000389:Air Conditioning / Q000009:adverse effects; D016288:Computer Terminals; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006361:Heating / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires