Analysis of Sleep Quality Evaluation Factors Affecting Dry Eye Syndrome

Heejae Jeong,1,* Sewon Park,2,* Hyojin Kim,3,4 Mihajlo Jakovljevic,5– 7,* Munjae Lee2,* 1Department of Convergence Healthcare Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Medical Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; 3Department of Optometry, Graduate School of Christian Studies, Baekseok University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 4Department of Optometry, Division of Health Science, Baekseok University, Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea; 5UNESCO-The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy; 6Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, 723099, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Global Health Economics and Policy, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Munjae Lee, Department of Medical Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea, Email [email protected] Mihajlo Jakovljevic, UNESCO-The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy, Email [email protected]: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep quality and dry eye syndrome, with a specific focus on identifying the sleep-related factors that increase the risk of developing dry eye syndrome.Patients and Methods: We utilized the PSQI-K (Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and MQ (McMonnies Dry Eye Questionnaire) to assess sleep quality and dry eye syndrome in 221 participants. The seven subfactors of sleep measured were subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction.Results: There was a significant correlation between poor sleep quality and higher scores of dry eye syndrome. Factors such as lower subjective sleep quality, longer sleep latency, shorter sleep duration, frequent sleep interruptions, and increased daytime dysfunction were associated with worse dry eye scores. The primary disruptors of sleep included sleep fragmentation and unsuitable thermal environments during sleep.Conclusion: Sleep disruptions, particularly those caused by modern lifestyle factors such as excessive use of digital devices and mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and stress, significantly contribute to the likelihood of developing dry eye syndrome. Addressing these sleep-disrupting factors through comprehensive management of sleep habits and mental health is crucial for preventing dry eye syndrome. Even in individuals not currently classified with dry eye syndrome, preemptive management of identified risk factors is recommended to mitigate potential future onset.Keywords: dry eye syndrome, sleep quality, PSQI-K, dry eye questionnaire, lifestyle