[Does the modern office environment desiccate the eyes?]

Eye irritation is a common complaint in the modern office environment. The causes are still unknown. It appears that high preocular relative humidity protects the precorneal tear film against desiccation and airborne chemicals and reduces the development of eye irritation by airborne sensory irritants. This is particularly relevant for intensive computer work, where the precorneal tear film is altered, resulting in dryness of the eye. The reduction of the blink frequency during computer work promotes desiccation of the precorneal tear film; the frequency is moderately correlated with both the tear film thickness and the aqueous loss. For this reason, it is important to plan the workplace and work schedule in such a way to maintain a normal eye blink frequency to minimise alterations of the precorneal tear film.