Prevalence of and risk factors for symptomatic dry eye disease in Singapore

Abstract

Background:The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and risk factors of symptomatic dry eye disease (SDED) in Singapore. Methods: A cross-sectional dry eye survey was carried out using the McMonnies dry eye questionnaire. Members of the public were interviewed at the 46 (out of 62) randomlyselected mass rapid transit (MRT) stations and their vicinity. A total of 1,004 questionnaires were collected from participants aged between 15 and 83 years. Symptomatic dry eye disease (SDED) was defined as at least one of five self-reported symptoms that were reported as often or constantly. Non-dry eye (NDE) subjects were those with no related symptoms reported. Prevalence of symptomatic dry eye disease in the studied population and confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Risk factors were also evaluated using logistic regression analysis at 95% CI. Results: The prevalence for symptomatic dry eye disease was found to be 12.3 per cent with prevalence greater in females than males. Symptomatic dry eye disease was significantly associated with contact lens wear (odds ratio [OR] 2.96, 95% CI: 1.81 to 4.83), those having had previous treatment for dry eye (OR 2.09, 95% CI: 1.33 to 3.29), those taking medication (OR 1.84, 95% CI: 0.99 to 3.44), those with unusual sensitivity of eyes (OR 3.04, 95% CI: 1.92 to 4.83), constant mucous membrane dryness (OR 4.11, 95% CI: 1.62 to 10.45) and irritation on waking (OR 2.38, 95% CI: 1.34 to 4.22). Smoking was not found to be associated with symptomatic dry eye disease. Conclusion: Singapore has a symptomatic dry eye disease prevalence of 12.3 per cent and was associated with contact lens wear, those who had previous treatment for dry eye, medication, those having unusual sensitivity of eyes, mucous membrane dryness and waking irritation. These new data will be of value to the eye-care community in Singapore and elsewhere.

Symptomatic Dry Eye and Its Associated Factors: A Study of University Undergraduate Students in Ghana

“…Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that females were 1.39 times likely to have dry eye, which was statistically significant but was not statistically significant in the multivariate analysis. This is consistent with Tan et al 4 and many other studies 3,20,25 who also reported a higher prevalence in females compared to males.…”

“…1 Dry eye symptoms comprise dryness, ocular pain, burning, visual disturbance, eye fatigue, grittiness, photophobia, soreness, irritation, tearing, and others. [2][3][4] Dry eye is among the most prevalent ophthalmic disease. It is reported that intolerance of dry eye symptoms accounts for its impact on public health and the eye care seeking mannerism of dry eye patients.…”

“…1 There are few studies focused on the prevalence and associated risk factors of dry eye inclusive of young adults. 3,4 Population-based studies focused exclusively on young adults or undergraduate university students are scarce in the literature. Yun et al 25 reported a prevalence of 50.6% via the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) among university students in Korea, indicating that symptomatic dry eye is probably very prevalent in this age group than previously thought.…”

TFOS DEWS II Tear Film Report

“…Contact lens wear increases the risk of developing dry eye from between 2.01 and 2.96 times [580–582]. Contact lenses compartmentalize the tear film into two layers; the outer pre-lens tear film layer in front of the lens, and the inner post-lens tear film layer, which lies between the lens and the cornea [583,584].…”

Prevalencia de síntomas de enfermedad de la superficie ocular en pacientes que acuden a consulta oftalmológica

“…Es una enfermedad multifactorial de la superficie ocular que afecta a la película lagrimal provocando su inestabilidad, dando como resultado síntomas de malestar ocular, alteraciones visuales y un potencial daño de las estructuras oculares externas 2 . La prevalencia de la enfermedad ha sido ampliamente estudiada con resultados muy variables, desde el 5% hasta más del 70% en personas mayores de 50 años 1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] ; los resultados varían de acuerdo con la definición utilizada, los métodos diagnósticos y la población estudiada 1 . El cuestionario del Índice de Enfermedad de la Superficie Ocular (OSDI, por sus siglas en inglés) es un método muy utilizado en estudios epidemiológicos de ojo seco y enfermedad de la superficie ocular, ya que evalúa por medio de 12 preguntas no solo la sintomatología asociada a esta enfermedad, sino también el impacto en la calidad de vida de los encuestados.…”