The association between sleep duration and dry eye syndrome among Korean adults

Abstract Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between sleep duration and dry eye syndrome (DES) symptoms. Methods We investigated 15,878 subjects (male = 6684; female = 9194) aged 20 years and older who underwent physical examinations and completed a self-report questionnaire and other anthropometric variables from the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2010–2012. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for DES according to sleep duration were calculated using multiple logistic regression models. Results Compared to that in an optimal sleep group (6–8 h/day), OR (95% CI) DES prevalence after adjusting for age, gender, sociodemographic factors (educational level, occupation, household income, and residence), and health behaviors (smoking habit, alcohol consumption, and level of exercise) was 1.20 (1.05–1.36) for a mild short sleep group (5 h/day) and 1.29 (1.08–1.55) for a severe short sleep group (≤4 h/day). Conclusion Our results revealed that DES increased at shorter sleep durations.