Prevalence and associations of dry eye syndrome in an older population: the Blue Mountains Eye Study

Abstract

This report describes the prevalence of self-reported dry eye syndrome and associations with systemic and ocular factors in an older Australian population. Participants of the Extension Blue Mountains Eye Study, aged 50 or older (mean age 60.8 years, n = 1174) completed a comprehensive eye examination and dry eye questionnaire. At least one dry eye symptom was reported by 57.5% of participants, with 16.6% reporting moderate to severe symptoms, more frequent in women (age-adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.2). Three or more symptoms were reported by 15.3% of participants, also more frequent in women (age-adjusted OR 1.7, CI 1.2-2.4). No age-related trends or significant ocular associations were observed. After adjusting for age and sex, systemic factors significantly associated with dry eye syndrome included history of arthritis, asthma, gout, use of corticosteroids, antidepressants and hormone replacement therapy. In this older population, dry eye syndrome was common and has associations with female gender and systemic diseases.

Prevalence of dry eye among adult Chinese in the Beijing Eye Study

“…18 Reported prevalence of dry eye is diverse, with questionnaire-based surveys documenting rates ranging from 14.4 to 33% of the population sampled. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][19][20][21] Studies that also involve tests of tear function including Schirmer's test, tear break-up time, fluorescein staining, or rose Bengal staining for determination of dry eye have found generally lower prevalence rates. 3,21 Limitations in comparisons of studies in different populations include different age distribution of the population, definitions of dry eye, or methodology.…”

“…These figures range from 14 to 34%. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][19][20][21] The published data regarding the relation between dry eye and gender are partially inconsistent. 22,23 The study performed in Australia by McCarty et al 3 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Each dry eye test that is frequently performed in clinical practice seeks only to measure a specific disorder of dry eye.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Although these symptoms rarely lead to severe problems threatening vision, they may be one of the most common symptoms decreasing the quality of vision. In view of their importance for daily life of patients and ophthalmologists, in practice it was the purpose of the present study to examine the prevalence of dry symptoms and their associations with ocular and general parameters in a population-based study in mainland China.…”

Uso de ciclosporina 0,05% tópica no tratamento do olho seco de pacientes portadores do vírus HIV

“…Os principais estudos epidemiológicos (2)(3)(4)(7)(8)(9)(10) sobre a síndrome do olho seco determinaram a prevalência de acordo com os sintomas referidos, tais como: ressecamento, sensação de areia, queimação, hiperemia, olhos colados pela manhã, prurido e fotofobia. Tais sintomas são identificados através da aplicação de questionários como o OSDI ® .…”

“…Estudos prévios estimaram prevalências compreendidas entre 5,5% e 33,7% (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10) . Em 1995, encontros realizados no National Eye Institute (NEI) propuseram que o olho seco pode ser decorrente de uma deficiência da produção aquosa lacrimal ou de uma evaporação excessiva, com dano à superfície ocular interpalpebral e sintomas oculares (11) .…”