Risk factors of dry eye syndrome in the soekarno-hatta airport's air traffic controllers

Objective: The prevalence of dry eye syndrome (DES) in air traffic controllers (ATCs) was 60.3%, according to one study conducted in 2017. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors of DES in ATCs of Soekarno Hatta International Airport (SHIA). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among ATCs of SHIA who met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data collected featured several demographic and health characteristics by questionnaire. Participants were classified as DES according to an Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire performed after the participants completed their work. The data were processed and analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression. Results: Variables that were associated with DES were an age of over 30 years (relative risk [RR], 2.04; confidence interval [CI], 1.30-3.19), and length of work over 10 years (RR, 2.00; CI, 1.25-3.20). After adjusting for all significant variables, the dominant risk factor for DES is age over 30 years (P = 0.002; RR, 3.33; CI, 1.58-7.01). Nonsignificant variables included sex, smoking habits, and use of contact lenses. Conclusion: The results suggest that employment conditions for ATCs with a 10-year-plus work history should be studied further to identify preventive measures, with age over 30 years as a dominant factor.