Abstract
Purpose: We investigated the the effect of wearing a loose mask on tear-film break-up time using cross-sectional and experimental methods.Methods: This was a comparative analysis of non-invasive tear-film break-up time (NIBUT) after wearing no mask, loose mask, and tight mask for 10 minutes each in 60 eyes with or without dry eye syndrome. NIBUT measurements were performed using a keratograph.Results: The NIBUT values were 7.53 ± 0.83 seconds, 6.19 ± 0.78 seconds, and 7.36 ± 0.68 seconds for the no mask, loose mask, and tight mask groups, respectively. There was no significant difference between the no mask and tight mask groups (<i>ρ</i>-value = 0.517), but the loose mask group had a significantly reduced NIBUT compared with the other groups (<i>ρ</i>-value = 0.013 and 0.022, respectively).Conclusions: Wearing a loose mask reduced the tear-film break-up time regardless of the presence or absence of dry eyes and may cause or worsen dry eye symptoms.
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