MORE SCREEN TIME EQUALS DRY EYES
Office workers who spend long
hours looking at computer screens have changes in their tear fluid
similar to people with the disease known as dry eye, according to a
study from Japan.
The
protein MUC5AC, secreted by cells in the upper eyelid, makes up part of
the normally occurring mucus layer, or “tear film,” that keeps the eye
moist. But study participants with the most screen time had MUC5AC
levels nearing those of people with diagnosed dry eye. Dr. Uchino, an ophthalmologist at the School of Medicine at Keio University in Tokyo, told Reuters Health: “When we stare at computers, our blinking times decreased compared to
reading a book at the table”. People staring at screens also tend to open their eyelids wider than
while doing other tasks, and the extra exposed surface area in addition
to infrequent blinking can accelerate tear evaporation and is associated
with dry eye disease, he said.
Dry eye may be chronic for some but can be managed with over the counter or prescription eye drops.
Past research suggests that up to 5 million men and women over age 50
in the United States suffer from dry eye disease, the researchers write
in their report. In Japan, tens of millions of people report some dry
eye symptoms, often associated with computer work, they add.
In the study above, 7 percent of men and 14
percent of women were diagnosed with ‘dry eye disease,’ meaning they
reported symptoms of eye problems like irritation, burning or blurred
vision and had poor quality or quantity of tear film, according to the
tests. Overall,
participants looked at screens for work for just over 8 hours a day
and had an average of about 6.8 nanograms of MUC5AC per milligram of
protein in each eye.
However, people who worked with computer screens for more than 7
hours per day had an average of 5.9 ng/mg of MUC5AC, compared to 9.6
ng/mg for people who spent fewer than 5 hours daily with screens. Similarly, people with definite dry eye disease had an average of 3.5
ng/mg of MUC5AC compared to 8.2 ng/mg for people without the disease.
“Mucin is one of the most important components of the tear film,” said
Dr. Yuichi Hori, who was not a part of the new study. “Mucins (like
MUC5AC) function to hold water on the ocular surface of the epithelia
that synthesize them, hence, they are major players in maintenance of
the tear film on the ocular surface,” Hori told Reuters Health by email. Concentration of the protein
was also lower for people with symptoms of eye strain than for people
without symptoms, according to the results published in JAMA
Ophthalmology.
HELP RELIEVE SYMPTOMS
People with
dry eyes at work tend to be less productive and are more likely to be
depressed, according to previous studies, Uchino said. Office workers who are worried about dry eye can make some simple changes to decrease their risk, Uchino said.“The exposed ocular surface area can be decreased by placing the
terminal at a lower height, with the screen tilted upward,” Uchino said.
Doctors also recommend using a humidifier at the office and avoiding
being in the direct path of the wind from an air conditioner, he said. “We advise the office workers suffering from ocular fatigue and dry eye
symptoms that they should blink more frequently in an intended manner
during (screen use), and that they should use artificial tears,” Hori
said.
Adopted by Dr. Kurteeva from Reuters Health and JAMA Ophthalmology, June 5, 2014.
