Table 2.
Associations between participant characteristics and dry eye symptoms and signs
| 5-Item Dry Eye Questionnaire | Ocular Surface Disease Index | Corneal Staining | Conjunctival Staining | TBUT (worse eye) | LLT (worse eye) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not severe | Severe | P-value | Normal/Mild | Moderate/Severe | P-value | No | Yes | P-value | No | Yes | P-value | Median (IQR) | P-value | Median (IQR) | P-value | |
| Job type | 0.35 | 0.76 | 0.16 | 1.00 | 0.43 | 0.68 | ||||||||||
| Clinical | 11 (55%) | 9 (45%) | 10 (50%) | 10 (50%) | 7 (35%) | 13 (65%) | 6 (30%) | 14 (70%) | 3.65 (2.29–5.19) | 69 (59–83) | ||||||
| Non-clinical | 8 (38%) | 13 (62%) | 9 (43%) | 12 (57%) | 3 (14%) | 18 (86%) | 7 (33%) | 14 (67%) | 2.56 (1.85–4.64) | 68 (51–80) | ||||||
| Age group | 0.07 | 0.20 | 0.14 | 1.00 | 0.01 | 0.55 | ||||||||||
| < 30 | 8 (50%) | 8 (50%) | 5 (31%) | 11 (69%) | 3 (19%) | 13 (81%) | 5 (31%) | 11 (69%) | 2.90 (2.20–6.93) | 68 (54–86) | ||||||
| 30–39 | 9 (64%) | 5 (36%) | 9 (64%) | 5 (36%) | 6 (43%) | 8 (57%) | 4 (29%) | 10 (71%) | 4.82 (3.32–5.48) | 64 (56–72) | ||||||
| ≥ 40 | 2 (18%) | 9 (82%) | 5 (45%) | 6 (55%) | 1 (9%) | 10 (91%) | 4 (36%) | 7 (64%) | 2.33 (1.40–2.67) | 74 (48–94) | ||||||
| Sex | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.40 | 0.70 | 0.30 | 0.01 | ||||||||||
| Female | 11 (35%) | 20 (65%) | 11 (35%) | 20 (65%) | 9 (29%) | 22 (71%) | 9 (29%) | 22 (71%) | 2.56 (2.10–4.89) | 72 (57–90) | ||||||
| Male | 8 (80%) | 2 (20%) | 8 (80%) | 2 (20%) | 1 (10%) | 9 (90%) | 4 (40%) | 6 (60%) | 4.69 (1.83–6.17) | 57 (48–64) | ||||||
| Race | 0.73 | 0.73 | 0.22 | 0.27 | 0.15 | 0.13 | ||||||||||
| White | 13 (50%) | 13 (50%) | 13 (50%) | 13 (50%) | 8 (31%) | 18 (69%) | 10 (38%) | 16 (62%) | 3.46 (2.34–5.48) | 71 (64–82) | ||||||
| Non-white | 5 (42%) | 7 (58%) | 5 (42%) | 7 (58%) | 1 (8%) | 11 (92%) | 2 (17%) | 10 (83%) | 2.38 (1.84–4.17) | 60 (50–75) | ||||||
| Ethnicity | 1.00 | 0.70 | 0.65 | 1.00 | 0.58 | 0.74 | ||||||||||
| Non-Hispanic | 15 (45%) | 18 (55%) | 16 (48%) | 17 (52%) | 9 (27%) | 24 (73%) | 11 (33%) | 22 (67%) | 3.32 (2.29–4.98) | 68 (57–81) | ||||||
| Hispanic | 4 (50%) | 4 (50%) | 3 (38%) | 5 (63%) | 1 (13%) | 7 (88%) | 2 (25%) | 6 (75%) | 2.48 (1.81–5.06) | 61 (49–90) | ||||||
| Household income | 0.71 | 0.34 | 0.44 | 0.53 | 0.06 | 0.41 | ||||||||||
| <$50,000 | 7 (54%) | 6 (46%) | 5 (38%) | 8 (62%) | 4 (31%) | 9 (69%) | 6 (46%) | 7 (54%) | 4.64 (2.34–7.09) | 64 (51–80) | ||||||
| $50,000-$99,999 | 6 (38%) | 10 (63%) | 7 (44%) | 9 (56%) | 2 (13%) | 14 (88%) | 4 (25%) | 12 (75%) | 2.31 (1.84–3.19) | 71 (64–87) | ||||||
| ≥$100,000 | 5 (50%) | 5 (50%) | 7 (70%) | 3 (30%) | 3 (30%) | 7 (70%) | 3 (30%) | 7 (70%) | 3.82 (2.56–5.40) | 65 (46–76) | ||||||
| Current smoker | 0.24 | 1.00 | 0.14 | 0.23 | 0.34 | 0.92 | ||||||||||
| No | 19 (50%) | 19 (50%) | 18 (47%) | 20 (53%) | 8 (21%) | 30 (79%) | 11 (29%) | 27 (71%) | 3.19 (2.29–4.98) | 68 (54–81) | ||||||
| Yes | 0 (0%) | 3 (100%) | 1 (33%) | 2 (67%) | 2 (67%) | 1 (33%) | 2 (67%) | 1 (33%) | 1.51 (1.35–9.16) | 74 (37–82) | ||||||
| Average screen time | 0.003 | 0.12 | 0.90 | 0.52 | 0.17 | 0.03 | ||||||||||
| 0–4 h | 6 (75%) | 2 (25%) | 5 (63%) | 3 (38%) | 2 (25%) | 6 (75%) | 3 (38%) | 5 (63%) | 4.27 (3.65–6.04) | 60 (51–92) | ||||||
| 5–7 h | 10 (67%) | 5 (33%) | 9 (60%) | 6 (40%) | 3 (20%) | 12 (80%) | 3 (20%) | 12 (80%) | 3.32 (2.29–4.98) | 64 (49–70) | ||||||
| 8 + hours | 3 (17%) | 15 (83%) | 5 (28%) | 13 (72%) | 5 (28%) | 13 (72%) | 7 (39%) | 11 (61%) | 2.44 (1.85–5.40) | 75 (68–91) | ||||||
| Screen time most recent shift | 0.0003 | 0.18 | 1.00 | 0.61 | 0.15 | 0.02 | ||||||||||
| 0–4 h | 5 (63%) | 3 (38%) | 5 (63%) | 3 (38%) | 2 (25%) | 6 (75%) | 3 (38%) | 5 (63%) | 4.27 (2.61–6.04) | 59 (43–92) | ||||||
| 5–7 h | 13 (72%) | 5 (28%) | 10 (56%) | 8 (44%) | 4 (22%) | 14 (78%) | 4 (22%) | 14 (78%) | 3.34 (2.44–4.98) | 64 (51–70) | ||||||
| 8 + hours | 1 (7%) | 14 (93%) | 4 (27%) | 11 (73%) | 4 (27%) | 11 (73%) | 6 (40%) | 9 (60%) | 2.33 (1.40–5.40) | 76 (70–94) | ||||||
| Dry eye diagnosis | 0.75 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 0.04 | 0.64 | 0.40 | ||||||||||
| No | 12 (50%) | 12 (50%) | 12 (50%) | 12 (50%) | 6 (25%) | 18 (75%) | 11 (46%) | 13 (54%) | 2.94 (2.08–6.12) | 67 (53–77) | ||||||
| Yes | 7 (41%) | 10 (59%) | 7 (41%) | 10 (59%) | 4 (24%) | 13 (76%) | 2 (12%) | 15 (88%) | 3.05 (2.10–4.64) | 72 (56–82) | ||||||
| Dry eye treatment | 1.00 | 0.28 | 0.26 | 0.91 | 0.91 | 0.30 | ||||||||||
| OTC only | 6 (50%) | 6 (50%) | 8 (67%) | 4 (33%) | 4 (33%) | 8 (67%) | 3 (25%) | 9 (75%) | 3.55 (2.01–5.58) | 62 (50–70) | ||||||
| OTC plus other | 7 (44%) | 9 (56%) | 6 (38%) | 10 (63%) | 5 (31%) | 11 (69%) | 6 (38%) | 10 (63%) | 2.86 (2.08–4.62) | 73 (53–87) | ||||||
| None | 6 (46%) | 7 (54%) | 5 (38%) | 8 (62%) | 1 (8%) | 12 (92%) | 4 (31%) | 9 (69%) | 2.44 (2.10–4.74) | 71 (63–80) | ||||||
| Treatment success | 0.16 | 0.68 | 0.08 | 1.00 | 0.40 | 0.48 | ||||||||||
| Successful | 10 (63%) | 6 (38%) | 9 (56%) | 7 (44%) | 7 (44%) | 9 (56%) | 5 (31%) | 11 (69%) | 3.82 (2.43–5.79) | 64 (53–73) | ||||||
| Not successful | 3 (25%) | 9 (75%) | 5 (42%) | 7 (58%) | 2 (17%) | 10 (83%) | 4 (33%) | 8 (67%) | 2.55 (1.85–3.38) | 73 (48–96) | ||||||
| No treatment | 6 (46%) | 7 (54%) | 5 (38%) | 8 (62%) | 1 (8%) | 12 (92%) | 4 (31%) | 9 (69%) | 2.44 (2.10–4.74) | 71 (63–80) | ||||||
| Facemask type | 0.65 | 0.05 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.65 | 0.21 | ||||||||||
| N95 | 3 (60%) | 2 (40%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (100%) | 1 (20%) | 4 (80%) | 1 (20%) | 4 (80%) | 2.56 (2.34–3.37) | 56 (49–68) | ||||||
| Surgical or cloth | 16 (44%) | 20 (56%) | 19 (53%) | 17 (47%) | 9 (25%) | 27 (75%) | 12 (33%) | 24 (67%) | 3.19 (1.86–5.44) | 70 (56–83) | ||||||
| Facemask worn properly | 1.00 | 0.68 | 1.00 | 0.40 | 0.63 | 0.46 | ||||||||||
| No | 3 (43%) | 4 (57%) | 4 (57%) | 3 (43%) | 2 (29%) | 5 (71%) | 1 (14%) | 6 (86%) | 2.67 (1.51–3.85) | 54 (46–94) | ||||||
| Yes | 16 (47%) | 18 (53%) | 15 (44%) | 19 (56%) | 8 (24%) | 26 (76%) | 12 (35%) | 22 (65%) | 3.19 (2.10–5.40) | 69 (57–81) | ||||||
| Facemask wearing duration at the most recently concluded shift* | ||||||||||||||||
| 0.37 | 0.45 | 0.60 | 0.21 | 0.74 | 0.24 | |||||||||||
| < 8 h | 10 (63%) | 6 (38%) | 8 (50%) | 8 (50%) | 4 (25%) | 12 (75%) | 4 (25%) | 12 (75%) | 3.34 (2.50–4.24) | 64 (49–79) | ||||||
| 8 h | 5 (42%) | 7 (58%) | 7 (58%) | 5 (42%) | 2 (17%) | 10 (83%) | 2 (17%) | 10 (83%) | 2.31 (1.98–6.08) | 66 (53–72) | ||||||
| > 8 h | 4 (33%) | 8 (67%) | 4 (33%) | 8 (67%) | 4 (33%) | 8 (67%) | 6 (50%) | 6 (50%) | 2.60 (1.54–5.79) | 75 (63–96) | ||||||
| Periocular humidity | ||||||||||||||||
| Masked | 1.00 | 0.12 | 0.28 | 0.74 | 0.62 | 0.07 | ||||||||||
| ≤Median | 10 (48%) | 11 (52%) | 7 (33%) | 14 (67%) | 7 (33%) | 14 (67%) | 6 (29%) | 15 (71%) | 2.56 (2.10–3.85) | 64 (49–71) | ||||||
| >Median | 9 (45%) | 11 (55%) | 12 (60%) | 8 (40%) | 3 (15%) | 17 (85%) | 7 (35%) | 13 (65%) | 3.51 (2.07–5.83) | 73 (62–91) | ||||||
| Maskless | 0.76 | 0.12 | 0.72 | 0.51 | 0.51 | 0.22 | ||||||||||
| ≤Median | 9 (43%) | 12 (57%) | 7 (33%) | 14 (67%) | 6 (29%) | 15 (71%) | 8 (38%) | 13 (62%) | 3.37 (2.33–5.40) | 65 (49–77) | ||||||
| >Median | 10 (50%) | 10 (50%) | 12 (60%) | 8 (40%) | 4 (20%) | 16 (80%) | 5 (25%) | 15 (75%) | 2.81 (1.84–4.94) | 71 (62–87) | ||||||
P-values come from Fisher’s exact tests for categorical characteristics and from Kruskall-Wallis tests for comparison of medians
OTC: Over the counter
TBUT: tear breakup time; unit second
LLT: lipid layer thickness; unit nm
*Data missing from one participant