Decades of Night-Shift Work Induce Diurnal Disruption and Corneal Adaptations: Evidence from Pentacam Analysis

Bence Lajos Kolozsvári, Éva Surányi, Zsuzsa Zakarné Aszalós, Vivien Lénárt, Reda Chaker, Géza Vitályos and Mariann Fodor ()
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Bence Lajos Kolozsvári: Department of Ophthalmology, Gyula Petrányi Doctoral School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Éva Surányi: Department of Ophthalmology, Gyula Petrányi Doctoral School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Zsuzsa Zakarné Aszalós: Department of Ophthalmology, Gyula Petrányi Doctoral School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Vivien Lénárt: Department of Ophthalmology, Gyula Petrányi Doctoral School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Reda Chaker: Department of Ophthalmology, Gyula Petrányi Doctoral School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Géza Vitályos: Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Debrecen, 4012 Debrecen, Hungary
Mariann Fodor: Department of Ophthalmology, Gyula Petrányi Doctoral School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: We aimed to determine the effects of night-shift work on corneal parameters in thirty-five healthy individuals (24–59 years) in a retrospective cohort study. Among them, 12 hospital nurses regularly worked two shifts, spending a third of their nights awake, whereas 23 age-matched controls never worked shifts and slept regularly. Measurements were performed at least five times within 12 h. We analyzed the keratometric parameters of the corneal front (F) and back (B) surfaces, including the refractive power in the flattest and steepest axes (K1, K2), astigmatism (Astig); and corneal pachymetry (Pachy) at the thinnest corneal point and pupil center, volume relative to the 10 mm corneal diagonal (Vol D10); and surface variance index (ISV). A multilevel mixed-effects linear regression adjusted for age was applied to 905 measurements. All parameters exhibited significant periodic fluctuations ( p ≤ 0.005). The two groups also showed significantly different periodic fluctuations ( p ≤ 0.008), except in K1B and AstigB. K1/K2 (F and B), AstigF, Pachy, and ISV differed significantly ( p < 0.0001). Surprisingly, prolonged night shift work did not increase the ISV, and no evidence of age-related corneal thinning was observed. Long-term night-shift exposures change various corneal parameters, reflecting both concomitant and adaptive effects. This study highlights the impact of consistent sleep deprivation on corneal properties, warranting further research into understanding the long-term effects of night-shift work.

Keywords: cornea; diurnal changes; sleep deprivation; night shift; anterior segment of the eye; Scheimpflug parameters; pachymetry; keratometry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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