Comparative Evaluation of 5 Validated Symptom Questionnaires as Screening Instruments for Dry Eye Disease

Abstract

Dry eye disease is a complex heterogeneous and multifactorial condition. 1 Validated questionnaires are frequently used to screen for dry eye symptoms before assessing tear film homeostasis markers. 1 Recently, the international Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop II (TFOS DEWS II) recommended the use of the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and 5-item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) as part of the dry eye diagnostic criteria. 1 This prospective, investigatormasked, diagnostic accuracy study sought to compare the discriminative ability of the OSDI, DEQ-5, McMonnies Dry Eye Questionnaire, Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE), and Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaires in detecting objective signs of dry eye disease.

Comparison of the performance of the dry eye questionnaire (DEQ-5) to the ocular surface disease index in a non-clinical population

“…This falls into the criteria for a good and useful diagnostic test [30,31]. Contrary to findings from the current study, Wang et al [32] reported DEQ-5 to not have a good discriminative ability A notable difference between the current study and that of Wang et al is the study population. The current study sampled Africans while Wang et al sampled Europeans, South and East Asians.…”

“…The same formula was used to calculate subsection (ocular symptoms, visual related function, and environmental triggers) scores. Overall OSDI score was grouped as normal (<13), mild (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22), moderate (23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32) and severe (>32) [23]. An individual with OSDI score ≥13 was considered positively symptomatic for diagnosis of dry eye disease [23].…”

Developing evidence-based guidance for the treatment of dry eye disease with artificial tear supplements: A six-month multicentre, double-masked randomised controlled trial

“…Ocular comfort was assessed using the OSDI, DEQ-5, and the Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE) questionnaires during the treatment period. [15] The overall SANDE score was calculated as the geometric mean of the frequency and severity scores. [16] Participants were advised to contact the study investigators during the study period to report adverse events at any time.…”

The negative effects of dry eye disease on quality of life and visual function

“…A 2015 study demonstrated that SANDE had significant correlation and negligible score differences to OSDI implying its potential to provide shorter, quicker, and comparably reliable measures of dry eye symptoms to that of OSDI [30]. Recent 2019 studies found that both OSDI and SANDE have superior discriminative ability in detecting dry eye signs compared to other questionnaires including SPEED [31]. SANDE has also been utilized to assess the efficacy of certain dry eye treatments including the new TearCare system [32].…”