Analysis of atmospheric particles washed away by eyewashes in Indonesia: The second report of the Jakarta study

TL;DR

This study shows that eyewashing can remove airborne particles from eyes and reduce symptoms in people living in polluted areas like Jakarta.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that eyewashing effectively removes particles and improves symptoms in polluted environments.

Findings

Eyewashing significantly reduced the number of particles in the first wash compared to the second.

Eyewashing improved both ocular and nasal symptom scores significantly.

No significant difference in particle count was found between car and motorcycle commuters.

Abstract

Airborne particles from pollutants aggravate ocular and nasal symptoms.

We sought to investigate the effectiveness of eyewashing in removing airborne particles from the eyes and improving ocular and nasal symptoms in Jakarta.

Healthy volunteers were divided into car (n = 15) and motorcycle (n = 15) commuters. Both eyes were washed twice with commercial eyewash, then the number of particles in the washing solution was calculated using a microscope connected to a smartphone. Ocular and nasal symptoms before and after the first eyewash were scored using a modified Japanese Allergic Conjunctival Disease Quality-of-Life Questionnaire.

The number of particles obtained by eyewashing was significantly higher following the first wash than that following the second wash (36.2 ± 23.2 vs 11.5 ± 10.1, P < .001). However, the number of particles did not significantly differ between motorcycle and car commuters for both the first (36.1 ± 23.5 vs 36.3 ± 22.9) and the second washes (13.1 ± 12.4 vs 9.9 ± 6.5). Eyewashing significantly improved total ocular (3.2 ± 3.6 vs 0.9 ± 1.3, P = .003) and nasal (1.2 ± 1.8 vs 0.3 ± 0.7, P = .017) symptom scores.

Both motorcycle and car commuters have many particles in their eyes. Eyewashing removes particles from the eye and improves subjective symptoms. Therefore, eyewashing may be effective in improving ocular symptoms in countries with severe air pollution.

Figures