Currently, the available treatment for dry eye disease (DED) varies. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of undiagnosed DED and patient-based self-care management for DED based on a web-based survey performed for Tear’s Day in Japan; 1030 participants (301 women) responded; 155 participants (72 women) had a clinical diagnosis of DED. We defined undiagnosed DED (n = 116; 54 women) as those with DED symptoms, as evaluated by a frequently used questionnaire despite not having a clinical diagnosis. A multivariate adjusted model indicated that younger age (odds ratio (OR), 0.97 for each one-year decrease; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.95–0.99), female sex (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.28–3.50), and prolonged visual display terminal usage (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04–1.21) were risk factors for undiagnosed DED. To investigate the efficacy of self-care management for DED, a sub-analysis was conducted. The number of self-care methods used was significantly higher among women than men. For undiagnosed DED, those with less than three self-care methods had a significantly worse Dry Eye-related Quality-of-Life Score compared with those with diagnosed DED. This study revealed risk factors for undiagnosed DED; individuals with those risk factors need to be clinically assessed and should not rely solely on self-care.
We analyzed the effects of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) on the visual acuity and visual fields of a patient with mucopolysaccharidosis type II, Hunter syndrome, with degeneration of the retina and abnormalities of the optic nerve. After the ERT, there was an improvement of the visual acuity and visual fields and an improvement of the activities of daily living. Despite the late onset of Hunter syndrome in this patient, ERT was still able to improve the visual function. We conclude that ERT should be considered regardless of the age of the manifestations of the signs and symptoms of Hunter syndrome.
Despite the importance of dry eye disease (DED) treatment, the rate of DED treatment discontinuation, especially discontinuation of ophthalmic follow-up, remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of ophthalmic follow-up discontinuation for DED. A cross-sectional survey of 1030 participants was conducted using a self-administered web-survey instrument. We collected lifestyle information, history of DED diagnosis, types of treatment, frequency of eye-drop usage, symptoms, and the reasons for discontinuing treatment. Statistical analyses including logistic regression were used to evaluate the risk factors of discontinuing ophthalmic follow-up for DED. A past history of clinical DED diagnosis was reported by 155 (15.0%) subjects. Of those, 130 had persistent DED, and 88 (67.7%) of the subjects reported discontinuation of ophthalmic follow-up for DED. The most prevalent reasons for ophthalmic follow-up discontinuation were time restrictions, followed by dissatisfaction with the DED treatment. Duration after DED diagnosis was the only significant risk factor for discontinuing ophthalmic follow-up after adjusting for age and sex (odds ratio = 1.09, 95% confidence interval = 1.02–1.17, p = 0.009). In conclusion, longer DED duration after diagnosis was a significant risk factor for discontinuing ophthalmic follow-up for DED. This study showed that DED ophthalmic follow-up discontinuation involves both medical and non-medical reasons. Clinicians need to be aware of them, and preventative effort is needed to avoid discontinuation.
Objective: To investigate the relation between body mass index (BMI) and dry eye disease (DED). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey in 85,264 Japanese men and women aged 40 to 74 years who participated in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study for the Next Generation (JPHC-NEXT Study). Dry eye disease was defined as the presence of severe symptoms or clinical diagnosis. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of DED associated with BMI and their two-sided 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We adjusted for age, cohort area, visual display terminal time, smoking status, alcohol intake, education status, income status, as well as history of hormone replacement therapy for women. Results: Prevalence of DED was 23.4% (n ¼ 19,985; 6,289 men, 13,696 women). Higher BMI was correlated with a lower prevalence of DED in a dose-response fashion, with an adjusted OR of DED (95% CI) per 1 kg/m 2 increment of BMI of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97-0.99) for men and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.97-0.98) for women. Conclusions: This large population-based study showed an inverse relationship between BMI and prevalence of DED in a Japanese population. Underestimation of DED is warned, especially for participants with high BMI.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.