Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease Among Medical Students and Its Association with Sleep Habits, Use of Electronic Devices and Caffeine Consumption: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire

Luai Abu-Ismail; Mohammad T Abuawwad; Mohammad J Taha; Almu'atasim Khamees; Dima Y Abu Ismail; Mohammad Sanwar; Yaqeen Al-Bustanji; Abdulqadir Nashwan; Omran Hamdan Alameri; Hamzeh Mohammad Alrawashdeh; Hashem Abu Serhan; Jocob Abu-Ismail

doi:10.2147/OPTH.S397022

Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease Among Medical Students and Its Association with Sleep Habits, Use of Electronic Devices and Caffeine Consumption: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire

Clin Ophthalmol. 2023 Apr 3:17:1013-1023. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S397022. eCollection 2023.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Islamic Hospital, Amman, Jordan.
² Department of Clinical Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Department of General Surgery, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan.
⁴ Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan.
⁶ Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
⁷ Department of Nursing Education and Research, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
⁸ Department of Pathology and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
⁹ Sharif Eye Centers, Irbid, Jordan.
¹⁰ Department of Ophthalmology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
¹¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Specialty Hospital, Amman, Jordan.

Abstract

Introduction: Dry eye disease (DED) is a common and multifactorial disease of the ocular surface which causes visual disturbance and feelings of discomfort among patients. The prevalence rate among medical students is an important issue to consider. This study investigates the relationship between caffeine consumption, sleeping habits, use of electronic devices, and DED among a convenient sample of medical students in Jordan.

Methods: This cross-sectional online survey enrolled medical students from all six medical schools in Jordan. The questionnaire, which was shared via social media platforms, assessed socio-demographics, caffeine consumption amounts and patterns, sleep quality, and the use of electronic devices and their relation to ocular discomfort, DED, and related symptoms. The ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire was also administered to quantify the symptoms of DED.

Results: A total of 1223 students participated in this study (RR=24.46%); 64% were females, and 43% were in their clinical placement years. Of the participants, 317 (25.92%) had normal eyes, and 906 (74.08%) had symptomatic DED. Of the students, 1206 (98.6%) used electronic devices directly before bed, and only 399 (32.62%) used blue-light-protective glasses. Lower DED risk was linked to male gender (OR=0.535, 95% CI 0.392-0.73, p <0.01), clinical years of medical school (OR=0.564, 95% CI 0.424-0.75, p<0.01). Poor sleep quality corresponded to more incidence of DED, regardless of sleeping for 5-6 hours (OR=3.046, 95% CI 1.299-7.139, p=0.01) or for less than 5 hours (OR=3.942, 95% CI 1.824-8.519, p<0.01). Also, caffeine consumption only marginally affected its incidence, but the results were statistically insignificant.

Conclusion: Female gender, basic science years, and spending more than 6 hours looking at screens were significantly associated with symptomatic DED. Caffeine consumption did not pose any significant risk to the incidence of DED.

Keywords: caffeine; dry eye; medical students; screen exposure; sleep quality.

Grants and funding

The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library.