Advanced dry eye screening for visual display terminal workers using functional visual acuity measurement: the...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Occupational Health
• Human Factors Engineering

Background:

• Dry eye (DE) is a prevalent condition affecting individuals who regularly use visual display terminals (VDTs).
• Accurate and efficient screening methods are crucial for early detection and management of DE in VDT workers.
• Current screening methods may require refinement for optimal application in occupational settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a novel dry eye (DE) screening tool for visual display terminal (VDT) workers.
• To integrate functional visual acuity (VA) measurements with a standardized symptoms questionnaire for enhanced DE detection.
• To provide recommendations for the practical implementation of this screening method in occupational health programs.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cross-sectional study involved 369 VDT-using office workers.
• Participants completed two DE questionnaires and underwent functional VA measurement and DE testing.
• Discriminant analysis was used to establish probability prediction cut-off levels for DE classification.

Main Results:

• The study classified 218 subjects as having DE and 151 as not having DE.
• The screening method achieved a sensitivity of 93.1% and a specificity of 43.7%.
• Positive predictive value (PPV) was 83.8% and negative predictive value (NPV) was 80.8% with three defined probability categories.

Conclusions:

• The refined DE screening method, utilizing three probability categories, demonstrated acceptable positive and negative predictive values.
• This enhanced screening approach is deemed suitable for practical application among visual display terminal (VDT) workers.
• The findings support the integration of this validated screening tool into routine occupational health assessments for VDT users.