Tear Function Test And Pterygium Among Paddy Farmers in West Java, Indonesia

1. Nina Mutmainah, MD
2. Soedarman Sjamsoe, MD¹

¹Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia

Purpose: To determine the tear function test and proportion of pterygium among paddy farmers and to determine factors contributed to tear function test and pterygium.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study. Data on age, gender, length and duration per day of working, and presence of pterygium on right eye of the subjects were recorded. Non-invasive breakup time (NITBUT) test and mucus fern test were evaluated to right eye of the subjects.

Results: Sixty paddy farmers were included in this study. Mean NITBUT was 12,94 s with no subject had mucus fern test type I. Most subjects had mucus fern test type III. Of all the factors assessed (age, gender, length and duration per day of working), only gender that had statistically significant corelation with worse type of mucus fern test (male worse than female, p <0.05). The proportion of pterygium in this study was 68,5%. There was a statistically significant corelation between each age, length and duration per day of working, and shortened NITBUT with pterygium (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, only low NITBUT that showed a consistent corelation with pterygium. Furthermore, NITBUT test result of > 10 s showed an 8,5 times protection for negative pterygium.

Conclusions: The tear function test of paddy farmers in this study is slightly below normal values and the proportion of pterygium is high. Older age, longer period of working, and shortened NITBUT have strong corelations with pterygium. Unstable tear film may be contribute to the initiation of pterygium.