Dry eye symptoms correlated with non-ocular conditions

Symptoms of dry eye are more strongly associated with non-ocular pain, posttraumatic stressdisorder and depression than tear film parameters, according to a study recently published in theBritish Journal of Ophthalmology.

Galor and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study with 136 participants to assess dry eyesymptom relationships.

Participants completed questionnaires regarding PTSD, depression, non-ocular pain and dry eyesymptoms. Tear film parameters were also measured.

Results showed that correlations between the dry eye questionnaire scores and depression, PTSDand non-ocular pain were moderate in strength as well as significant. Conversely, correlationsbetween the dry eye questionnaire scores and tear film measurements were weak in strength andlargely insignificant.

"The finding that non-ocular measures correlate more closely to dry eye symptoms than tearparameters has a number of different possible explanations, three of which are summarized here,"the authors concluded. "First, patients with non-ocular conditions may be suffering from centralsensitization, a process that affects generalized pain perception and pain related behaviors. Second,patients with underlying psychiatric conditions, including anxiety, may be misinterpreting ocularsurface sensations. Third, patients with non-ocular pain and psychiatric conditions may be takingmedications that affect their tear film status. Regardless of the underlying cause, our findingssuggest that non-ocular factors are more strongly associated with dry eye symptoms than are tearfilm parameters.

"These findings have implications for treatment of dry eye," they continued. "Current dry eyetreatment paradigms focus on treating ocular surface pathology in order to improve dry eyesymptoms. Our findings suggest that systemic findings may need to be considered, and perhapsaddressed, when developing a personalized dry eye treatment algorithm." - by Chelsea Frajerman

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.

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