Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Dry Eye Syndrome among Senior High School Students in a County of Shandong Province, China

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for dry eye syndrome (DES) among senior high school students in Shouguang, a county of Shandong Province, China.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in July 2010, and 1902 senior high school students were selected by multi-stage sampling to answer a questionnaire assessing the prevalence and risk factors for DES. DES was defined as the presence of a previous clinical diagnosis of DES or severe symptoms (both dryness and irritation constantly or often). Risk factors associated with DES were evaluated with a χ² test and logistic regression analyses.

Results: The prevalence of DES was 23.7%. In univariate analysis, myopia (P < 0.0001), contact lens wear (P = 0.020), inadequate refractive correction (P < 0.0001), frequent self-administered topical ophthalmic medications (P < 0.0001), and poor sleep quality (P = 0.007) were significantly associated with DES. In multivariate analysis, inadequate refractive correction (P < 0.0001, odds ratio, OR 1.980; 95% confidence interval, CI 1.577–2.488), frequent self-administered topical ophthalmic medications (P < 0.0001, OR 1.838; 95% CI 1.399–2.410), and poor sleep quality (P = 0.001, OR 1.342; 95% CI 1.054–1.709) were significant risk factors for DES.

Conclusions: Senior high school students are a neglected population with a high prevalence of DES. Preventive measures directed against risks factors for DES among senior high school students may help reduce the prevalence and provide a positive impact on students’ health.

KEYWORDS::

• Dry eye syndrome
• Prevalence
• Risk factors
• Senior high school students
• China

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to Dr Zhiping Wang, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Shandong University, for her professional assistance in statistical analysis and for reviewing an earlier version of this article. They also thank students who kindly gave their consent to be interviewed. Thanks to Dr Edward C.Mignot, Shandong University, for linguistic advice.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.