Abstract
Many East Asians apply double eyelid tape to create the double eyelid effect temporarily as a means of increasing their beauty. This study evaluated the effects of four-week wear of double eyelid tape on anterior ocular health in young adult women with single eyelids. Twenty-nine participants who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. The participants’ anterior ocular health was examined including blinking characteristics (blink pattern and blink rate), ocular surface health (presence of corneal abrasion, corneal staining, conjunctival staining, corneal curvatures, meibomian gland dysfunction), tear break up time, intraocular pressure, and subjective comfort level. Participants were required to apply the double eyelid tape for at least eight hours a day and five days a week for four weeks. The parameters were re-measured at the end of each week. There was a significant increase in conjunctival staining, corneal staining, and meibomian gland dysfunction, with a significant reduction in tear break-up time and intraocular pressure. By week 3, all participants had incomplete blinks. There was no significant change in symptoms and subjective comfort level reported. Therefore, patients and eye care practitioners should be aware of the potential implications of double eyelid tape wear on ocular health, with no significant change in subjective comfort.
Highlights
Facial structure and appearance can be distinguished between different ethnicities due to genetics [1,2]
Incomplete blinking, might be related with other findings reported in this study, as we found a statistically significant increase in meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) grading, conjunctival staining, and corneal staining
Four-week period of double eyelid tape wear had a significant effect on ocular surface health, namely, an increase in conjunctival staining, corneal staining, corneal abrasion, and meibomian gland dysfunction grading, with a significant reduction in tear break-up time and intraocular pressure
Summary
Facial structure and appearance can be distinguished between different ethnicities due to genetics [1,2]. The appearances of the ‘East Asian eyelid’ can be categorized into three main categories: single eyelid, low eyelid crease, and double eyelid [1,4]. These can be differentiated through external observation: single eyelid has no apparent lid crease, low eyelid crease has a low-seated, nasal tapered crease with hidden fold, and double eyelid has a well-formed supra-tarsal crease. The prevalence of Asians born with double eyelid is 50% [5], while the prevalence of double eyelid among Malaysians with Malay and Chinese ethnicity is 100% and 70.1%, respectively [6]. Cosmetic products or surgical approaches are sought after by East Asians to obtain this ideal image [9,10,11]
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