BioMed research international
Dry Eye Symptoms and Ocular Discomfort Among Palestinian University Students With and Without Contact Lens Use: A Cross-Sectional Study
By Edhilie L, Yousef A, Dawoud F and 7 others.
Abstract
Background
Ocular dryness and discomfort are commonly reported by contact lens wearers, particularly among young adults. This study evaluated self-reported ocular symptoms among Palestinian university students and compared contact lens users with nonusers.
Methods
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Palestinian university students using dry eye symptom (DES) items, the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire-8 (CLDEQ-8), and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Descriptive, comparative, and multivariable analyses were performed to examine ocular symptoms and their associations with contact lens use and relevant participant characteristics.
Results
A total of 408 students participated, of whom 202 (49.5%) were contact lens users and 87.7% were female. Dryness and sandy/gritty sensation were reported significantly more frequently by contact lens users than nonusers (both p < 0.001). Among contact lens users, 82.7% had OSDI scores ≥ 13, compared with 78.1% of nonusers; however, neither OSDI symptom-category distribution (p = 0.496) nor mean OSDI score (29.18 ± 19.05 vs. 26.84 ± 17.65; p = 0.20) differed significantly between groups. Among contact lens users, CLDEQ-8 responses indicated a high burden of lens-related discomfort and dryness. In multivariable analysis, contact lens use was not independently associated with OSDI score after adjustment for gender and daily screen exposure (B = 2.15, 95% CI -1.46 to 5.77; p = 0.242). Participants reporting > 8 h/day of screen exposure had significantly higher OSDI scores than those reporting 2-4 h/day (B = 10.37, 95% CI 0.45 to 20.29; p = 0.040).