Mask-associated Dry Eye Syndrome in Healthcare Professionals as a New Complication Caused by the Prolonged Use of Masks during Covid-19 Pandemic Period

Autor: Umut, Dag, Mehtap, Çaglayan, Hasan, Öncül, Süleyman, Vardar, Mehmet Fuat, Alaus
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Ophthalmic Epidemiology. 30:1-6
ISSN: 1744-5086
0928-6586
DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2022.2053549
Popis: The aim of this study is to demonstrate the prevalence of self-reported mask-associated dry eye (MADE) in health-care professionals and the possible risk factors that give rise to MADE.A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 12 questions about MADE and possible risk factors that give rise to MADE was created on web-based "google forms" application, and was then sent to 437 healthcare professionals working in a coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic hospital, using common telecommunication devices.Three hundred and thirty-three of the 437 health-care professionals, who answered the questionnaire, were included in the study. The prevalence of self-reported MADE among these health-care professionals was found to be 70% (n = 233). Having at least one of the symptoms of dry eye while not having a mask on and advanced age were determined as the possible risk factors for MADE (The high prevalence of self-reported MADE among health-care professionals can be attributed to the prolonged use of masks associated with longer working hours. Therefore, it is important that the ocular complaints of professionals are addressed by ophthalmology consultants/ophthalmologists during these difficult times.
Databáze: OpenAIRE