A new study led by the University of Southampton reveals patients suffering from dry eye disease symptoms are affected mentally as well as physically. Patients with the condition reported that in addition to negative effects on visual function, they also suffered in their ability to carry out daily activities, as well as in work productivity.
Symptoms of dry eye disease include irritation and redness in the eyes, blurred vision, and a sensation of grittiness or a foreign body in the eye. It has been reported that up to a third of adults over 65 years old have the condition. However, this number may be higher as there is no established diagnostic test and people with mild symptoms are less likely to report them to an eye care physician. Treatment often involves prescriptions of artificial tears, ocular lubricants, and astringents.
Published in the journal BMJ Open, the study surveyed adults in the UK—one thousand patients with the condition and further one thousand without. Participants answered a questionnaire from the National Eye Institute about their visual function and a EuroQol questionnaire on health-related quality of life. Those who declared that they experienced dry eye disease also answered further questions to assess the severity of their symptoms.
The results showed that a higher proportion of participants with dry eye disease had problems with mobility and experienced more difficulties in their day-to-day activities than patients without the condition. The surveys also revealed they were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. Those with the most severe symptoms are also more likely to experience a negative impact on their social and emotional functioning as well work productivity, including missing more time from work.
“This study provided some very useful information on the burden that dry eye disease places on patients,” said study lead researcher Dr. Parwez Hossain. “As well as confirming the impact on work and social lives we also discovered showed that the extent of the effects are consistent with the severity of symptoms. We also found that participants with dry eye disease symptoms were a lot more likely to suffer from other comorbidities, twice as many suffered from arthritis, hearing loss or irritable bowel disease compared to the cohort without symptoms. Whilst we cannot draw causal associations through this study, the presence of dry eye disease does appear to impact on an individual’s health and vision related quality of life.”
Full news release: www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2021/03/dry-eye-disease.page
Source: University of Southampton