Abubaker Sana Khaled, Samaana Shahd Baker, Saidi Qutaiba Naser, Qaddumi Jamal A S, Abualhasan Hamza, Abusalha Shahd Ibrahim
Department of Medicine, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 3;25(1):1642. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22779-0.
Dry Eye Disease (DED) is a multifactorial ocular condition characterized by the disturbance of the tear film and interpalpebral ocular surface. It is characterized by ocular itchiness, grittiness, burning, and visual disturbances. Many risk factors were linked to DED, including occupational-related risk factors. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and impact of DED on work productivity among outdoor and indoor workers in the West Bank of Palestine and the impact of DED on daily activities performance.
A population-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on male and female Palestinian workers aged 18 years or older, carried out between July to October 2024. Structured interview questionnaires using the Arabic version of the Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire (Arab-OSDI) and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI) for participants who scored 13 or higher on OSDI.
A total of 464 participants were included, ages 18 or older. Males were 81.3% of the study population. 50% of the sample were indoor workers and 50% were outdoor workers. The prevalence of DED in Palestinian workers was 61.4%, which was higher among outdoor workers (64.7%) than indoor workers (58.2%), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.15). The impact of DED on work productivity was reported in all severity levels (p < 0.001); participants with severe DED had a mean of 5.93 h, which is higher than the mean for moderate and mild DED patients (4.71 and 3.42 h), respectively. Similarly, the impact on the ability to perform daily activities was significant (p < 0.001), greatest among respondents with severe disease (5.86 h).
Outdoor workers have been associated with DED more than in-office workers in the West Bank. Meanwhile, workers with DED report lower productivity and struggle with everyday tasks regardless of the severity level. This underlines the detrimental effects of the workplace on the ocular surface, which present a significant risk for the onset and exacerbation of dry eye symptoms.
干眼疾病（DED）是一种多因素引起的眼部疾病，其特征是泪膜和睑裂区眼表受到干扰。其症状包括眼痒、有沙粒感、烧灼感和视觉障碍。许多风险因素与干眼疾病有关，包括与职业相关的风险因素。本研究旨在调查巴勒斯坦西岸地区户外和室内工作者中干眼疾病的患病率及其对工作效率的影响，以及干眼疾病对日常活动表现的影响。
于2024年7月至10月对18岁及以上的巴勒斯坦男女工人进行了一项基于人群的描述性横断面研究。使用阿拉伯语版的眼表疾病指数问卷（Arab-OSDI）和工作效率与活动障碍问卷（WPAI）对OSDI得分13分及以上的参与者进行结构化访谈。
共纳入464名18岁及以上的参与者。男性占研究人群的81.3%。样本中50%为室内工作者，50%为户外工作者。巴勒斯坦工人中干眼疾病的患病率为61.4%，其中户外工作者（64.7%）高于室内工作者（58.2%），但差异无统计学意义（p = 0.15）。所有严重程度的干眼疾病对工作效率均有影响（p < 0.001）；重度干眼疾病参与者的平均工作时间为5.93小时，高于中度和轻度干眼疾病患者的平均工作时间（分别为4.71小时和3.42小时）。同样，对日常活动能力的影响也很显著（p < 0.001），在重症患者中影响最大（5.86小时）。
在西岸地区，户外工作者患干眼疾病的几率高于办公室工作者。同时，无论严重程度如何，患有干眼疾病的工作者工作效率较低，日常任务完成困难。这突出了工作场所对眼表的有害影响，这是干眼症状发作和加重的重大风险因素。
