Objective and subjective evaluation of tear film in machine carpet weavers

OBJECTIVES: The present study was conducted to evaluate the status of tear film objectively and subjectively in machine carpet weavers. METHODS: In this cross‐sectional study, machine‐made carpet weavers were compared with the controls who were selected from people working in other parts of the factory except for the production. A complete evaluation of ocular health was done for all participants. The blink rate, tear deformation Time (TDT), and ocular staining were evaluated as an objective assessment and the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) was used for a subjective assessment of the tear film status. The results were compared between the two groups using the SPSS software. RESULTS: The results of 46 weavers (mean age: 38.43 ± 6.10 years) and 46 controls (mean age: 33.20 ± 8.40 years) were analyzed. The mean of blink rate and OSDI score were significantly higher in weavers (Blink rate: 20.67 ± 4.18 blink/min, OSDI: 22.59 ± 9.51) in comparison with controls (Blink rate: 14.00 ± 3.30 blink/min, OSDI: 6.22 ± 4.78, P < .001). The mean TDT value of the weavers was significantly lower compared with the controls (10.27 ± 3.01 and 16.58 ± 4.18 s respectively, P < .001). Ocular surface staining was seen among 60.9% of weavers while there was 6.5% in the controls (P < .001). Based on the TDT test and OSDI results together, the percentage of dry eye in the weavers was 43.5% and that in the non‐weavers was 2.2%, which showed that the relationship between weaving and dry eyes was statistically significant (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that increased symptoms and decreased tear stability in weavers compared with non‐weavers lead to more tear film abnormalities in these individuals.