Dry eye syndrome (DES) is one of the leading causes of eye care visits. Research has shown that the prevalence of DES is higher in Asian populations than in Europeans and Americans. It poses a significant global burden, and with the increasing use of digital screens, particularly among the younger, the global burden of DES is anticipated to increase. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of DES among the young population in Jordan. This was an online cross-sectional survey study that utilized Qualtrics survey software and was conducted in Jordan between November 2021 and January 2022. The National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 was utilized in this research. The prevalence of DES was estimated based on patients’ self-reports. Dry eye is reported by 356 participants (32.4%). Regarding the overall health, 366 participants (32.5%) rate it as good, and 420 participants (37.3%) describe their vision as good. Regarding staying home due to eyesight, 2.3% strongly agreed, and 4.1% mostly agreed. Females showed higher odds of the developing DES compared to males (OR = 2.1, 95% CI:1.5–3.0, P = .04). Individuals having comorbidities exhibiting lower odds of developing DES (OR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.3–0.6, P < .001). This study underscores that the prevalence of DES was moderate among young people in Jordan, with similarly prevalent eye irritation, which is the primary symptom of DES. A significant association was observed between DES and some factors, specifically female gender, which are possibly due to hormonal influences. These determinations may assist in developing management and prevention approaches for DES to enhance individuals’ quality of life and reduce the economic burden. Further studies are needed to address the study limitations.
Abdulmannan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.