National Listing Unveils Top Job Categories That Can Aggravate Dry Eye (NAPSA)—Do you work in an administrative, finance or information technology position? Maybe you work in construction, manufacturing, medical, education or retail sales? If so, you may be one of the millions of people in the United States affected by dry eye. Dry eye affects more than 20 million people in the United States, yet it remains an often unrecognized on-the-job health issue as many sufferers remain unaware of the condition and its causes. The not-for-profit National Women’s Health Resource Center (NWHRC) has released the Dry Eye Hot Jobs, the first-everlisting of the nation’s top job categories most likely to contribute to dry eye. Workplace health and safety is a critical issue for Americans with labor time lost due to health reasons representing lost eco- nomic output totaling $260 billion per year. “It is important to raise awareness of dry eye, a common health issue that disproportionately affects women,” said Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, RN, executive vice president of the NWHRC. “We encourage women to become more aware of on-the-job condi- HotJobsList The Hot Jobslisting is based on a numberof factors known to contribute to dry eye, including prolonged computeruse and exposure to dust andallergens. The following jobs toppedthe list: Office-based jobs such as administrative, finance and information technology posifions Construction/manufacturing Health care/medical Education Retail/sales Public/socialservice Transportation/delivery Agriculture/landscaping Janitorial/maintenance Food service a) to light, feeling like something is in your eye and excessive tearing. “Artificial tears are often used to manage dry eye symptoms. However, anyone using eye drops to relieve dry eye symptoms on a regular basis without relief should see an eye care professional who may recommend adding a prescription therapy, such as RESTASIS, to treat an underly- ing cause of dry eye,” said Marguerite McDonald, M.D., FACS, Ophthalmic Consultants of Long tions that may contribute to dry Island and clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tulane Univer- professional if they are experienc- “If left untreated, dry eye can Chronic dry eye occurs when eyes do not produce the right quantity or quality of tears. It is risk of infection and impaired changes due to aging and menopause and can be aggravated by environmental conditions. Dry eye symptoms can see if you may have dry eye and educational information about eye and to talk to their eye care ing dry eye symptoms.” often caused by hormonal include eye dryness, itching, irri- tation, blurred vision, sensitivity sity Health Sciences Center. progress and lead to increased vision.” To access the complete Dry Eye Hot Jobs listing, a quiz to symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment options and longterm effects of dry eye, visit www.healthywomen.org.
