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DRY EYE HOT JOBS FACT SHEET
Workplace health and safety is a critical issue for Americans—with labor time lost due to health reasons representing lost economic output totaling $260 billion per year. Dry eye, a medical condition that affects more than 20 million people in the United States, can be an unreported on-the-job concern, as many sufferers remain unaware of the condition, its causes and treatment options. In response to this, during July, which is Dry Eye Awareness Month, the National Women's Health Research Center (NWHRC) unveiled the Dry Eye Hot Jobs, a listing of the top 10 job categories with workplace conditions most likely to aggravate dry eye.
Results from a national survey of people who suffer from dry eye symptoms coupled with external factors known to aggravate dry eye revealed the top ten job categories most likely to contribute to the condition. The listing includes:
- Office jobs such as an executive assistant, customer service representative, accountant, software engineer or IT consultant
- Construction/Manufacturing jobs such as construction workers, contractors, welders or factory workers
- Health care/Medical jobs such as registered nurses, medical assistants or lab technicians
- Educational jobs such as professors, researchers or librarians
- Retail/Sales jobs such as retail workers or salespeople
- Public Service/Social Service jobs such as social workers, firefighters or police officers
- Transportation/Delivery jobs such as delivery drivers or truck drivers
- Agriculture/Landscaping jobs such as farmers, fishermen or landscapers
- Janitorial/Maintenance jobs such as housekeepers or building maintenance workers
- Food service jobs such as cooks and servers
National Survey Findings:
In April 2007, International Communication Research conducted a telephone survey of 322 adults in the United States who suffer from dry eye symptoms and work either part-time or full-time. Survey highlights include:
- Dry eye can be a progressive disease, and if left untreated, chronic dry eye can lead to more serious problems, including impaired vision and an increased risk of eye infection, 3 however 61 percent of survey respondents have never spoken to a doctor about their dry eye symptoms.
- Over 34 percent of survey respondents experience dry eye symptoms three or more times a day. Anyone who uses over-the-counter artificial tears on a regular basis without relief is encouraged to see an eye care professional to determine whether they have chronic dry eye. The eye care professional may recommend appropriate over-the-counter or prescription therapies.
- Dry eye can be aggravated by a number of external factors,4,5 many of which are common in workplace environments such as those identified in the Dry Eye Hot Jobs listing. Of the survey respondents, all of whom suffer from dry eye symptoms:
- 67 percent reported prolonged computer use.
- Approximately 40 percent reported on the job exposure to particles or dust in the air.
- 77 percent reported exposure to air conditioning and/or heating daily.
About the Dry Eye Hot Jobs Listing:
- The Dry Eye Hot Jobs listing is based on a number of factors known to contribute to dry eye, including prolonged computer use and exposure to dust and allergens, coupled with data from a nationwide survey of people who suffer from dry eye symptoms.
- The Dry Eye Hot Jobs campaign has been acknowledged and supported as an important health awareness effort by the following health care and professional organizations: Cornea Society, Lupus Foundation of America, Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, Rosacea Research & Development Institute, Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation, and American College of Rheumatology.
- To access the complete Dry Eye Hot Jobs listing, please visit www.healthywomen.org. On this site there is a Dry Eye Quiz that people can take to their doctor to help determine whether they have chronic dry eye. Additionally, the site contains educational information about symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatments and long-term effects of dry eye.
About Dry Eye
- Nearly 40 percent of Americans suffer from dry eye symptoms,6 which may include eye dryness, itching, irritation, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, foreign body sensation and excessive tearing.
- One of the largest groups affected by dry eye is menopausal women.7
- Dry eye can be a progressive disease, and if left untreated, chronic dry eye can lead to more serious problems, including impaired vision and an increased risk of eye infection.3
- Chronic dry eye occurs when changes to the health of the tear-producing glands affect the quantity and quality of tears produced.
- While artificial tears are commonly used to treat symptoms, mild or episodic, dry eye can progress to a chronic condition. Anyone using artificial on a regular basis without relief from symptoms should see an eye care professional who can properly diagnose chronic dry eye and may recommend adding a treatment, such as a prescription therapy that targets an underlying cause of dry eye.
1. Davis, K., Collins, S., Doty, M., Ho, A., Holmgren, A. The Commonwealth Fund. Issue Brief: Health and Productivity Among U.S. Workers. August 2005.
2.
Market Scope. Report on the Global Dry Eye Market. St. Louis, Mo: Market Scope, July 2004.
3. Schaumberg D, Sullivan D, Buring J, Dana R. Prevalence of dry eye syndrome among U.S. women. Am J Ophthalmol. 2003;136:318-326.
4. Blehm C, Vishnu S, Khattak A. Computer vision syndrome: a review. Surv Ophthalmol. 2005 May-Jun;50(3):253-62.
5. AgingEyeTimes. Artificial Tears. Available at: http://www.agingeyenet/dryeyesinformation.php. Accessed March 7, 2006.
6. Multi-sponsor surveys, Inc. Gallup study of dry eye sufferers. Princeton, NJ, August 2005.
7. Schaumberg D, Sullivan D, Buring J, Dana R. Prevalence of dry eye syndrome among U.S. women. Am J Ophthalmol. 2003;136:318-326.
This publication and the DRY EYE HOT JOBS rankings are part of a NWHRC educational initiative, sponsored by Allergan, Inc.
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