Is wearing a face mask associated with symptomatic dry eye disease among medical students during the COVID-19 era? An online survey.
BMC Ophthalmol
; 22(1): 159, 2022 Apr 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1779620
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Coronavirus disease 2019 has necessitate the routine use of masks worldwide. This study assessed the relationship between wearing a facemask and dry eye disease (DED) among a sample of medical students in Jordan.METHODS:
This cross-sectional online survey enrolled medical students from all medical schools in Jordan. The questionnaire, which was shared via social media platforms, assessed sociodemographic information, ocular and medical history, facemask-wearing habits, the use of ocular devices, and the relationship with ocular discomfort. The ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire was also administered to quantify DED symptoms.RESULTS:
A total of 1,219 students participated in this study. In total, 58.3% participants were females, and 52% were in the clinical science years. Symptomatic DED was found in 71.7% of participants. Female sex, basic science years, allergy reporting, and spending more than 6 h looking at screens were significantly associated with symptomatic DED.CONCLUSION:
Wearing a facemask was not significantly associated with symptomatic DED. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of wearing a facemask on the ocular surface.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Students, Medical
/
Dry Eye Syndromes
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
BMC Ophthalmol
Journal subject:
Ophthalmology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12886-022-02377-Z
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