Impact of Eye Cosmetic Use on Tear Break-up Time in Females: A Comparative Study

Objective: To assess the impact of regular eye cosmetic use on tear film stability in females aged 18–30 years by comparing tear break-up time (TBUT) between cosmetic users and nonusers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2015 and August 2016. A total of 300 participants were enrolled, with 198 classified as eye cosmetic users and 102 as nonusers. Participants underwent various ophthalmic examinations, including the Schirmer test and tear break-up time test. Tear break-up time measurements were recorded for both groups and subsequently compared. Results: The result of this study showed that the mean of tear break-up time in eye cosmetics users was 9.24 ± 1.443 and in nonusers was 14.12 ± 1.025. Tear break-up time between eye cosmetic users was found to be statistically significant ( P < 0.001). Schirmer value in eye cosmetic users was 19.47 ± 5.52 and nonusers was 20.95 ± 2.91, and was found to be statistically nonsignificant ( P = 0.36). Pearson correlation coefficient (r) analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between tear break-up time in eye cosmetic users with Schirmer in eye cosmetic users ( r = −0.43). While there was a positive correlation between tear break-up time in nonusers with Schirmer noncosmetic users ( r = 0.25). Conclusion: This study concluded that there is a statistically significant difference in tear break-up time between eye Cosmetic users and noncosmetic users in females.