Is a Dry Eye Disorder in Firefighters an Occupational Disease?

BACKGROUND: To examine firefighters (FFs) exposed to high levels of fire smoke and, as a result, to uncover risk factors for a dry eye disorder (DED) compared to age-and gender-matched healthy individuals. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 51 FFs from the Afyonkarahisar Municipality Fire Department were chosen randomly (Group 1). A control group (Group 2) included 51 healthy relatives of patients who had routine ocular examinations. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was administered after all participants thoroughly explained the study’s objectives and procedures. Then, an ocular exam was performed on-site using a portable hand biomicroscope. DED was defined as a non-anesthetic Schirmer test result of <10 mm and a tear film break-up time (TBUT) of <5 seconds. RESULTS: Groups 1 and 2 had mean ages of 44.82±7.29 and 44.73±7.41 years, respectively (p=0.946). The median work duration in Group 1 was 14 years (min-max: 1-27 years). The TBUT test revealed a significantly increased DED prevalence in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p=0.046). Despite the non-significant difference (p=0.276), the Schirmer test revealed that Group 1 had a higher DED prevalence than Group 2. The OSDI score showed that Group 1 had more mild, moderate, and severe DED than Group 2 (p=0.359). In addition, longer work duration was associated with a higher DED prevalence (p=0.179). CONCLUSIONS: Given the high prevalence of fire smoke-induced DED in FFs, preventive measures such as regular ocular exams, recommending personal protective equipment usage, and health education programs can assist in avoiding complications and reducing the burden of ocular diseases.