Abstract
Purpose:
Various pathologies are thought to be associated with the subjective symptoms in dry eye. A dry eye-related quality of life score (DEQS) was developed in Japan as a questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) for dry-eye patients. Here we investigated the correlation between QOL score as evaluated by DEQS and subjective symptoms assessed by a visual analog scale (VAS).
Methods:
This study involved 87 dry eye patients (9 males and 78 females; mean age: 63.7±13.8years). The QOL score (0-100) was evaluated by DEQS. Subjective symptoms included dry-eye sensation, difficulty in opening the eye, foreign body sensation, pain, redness, tearing, discharge, itchiness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, heavy eyelid, and eye fatigue, and they were categorized into the following 4 groups in relation to pathophysiologies: S: stability of tear film (dry eye sensation, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, eye fatigue, heavy eyelids), F: friction (difficulty in opening the eye, foreign body sensation, pain), R: reflex (redness, tearing), and T: tear turn over (discharge, itchiness). Their total and each score were evaluated by VAS (0mm: no symptoms; 100mm: maximum symptoms). The patients were divided into 4 dry-eye groups according to their tear-film breakup pattern (i.e., Area, Spot, Line, and Random), and we then investigated the correlation between the QOL score and the total and each VAS score in all patients and by dry-eye groups.
Results:
A significant correlation was found between QOL score and the total and S, F, R, T VAS score (total; S, F, R, and T)(0.80; 0.72, 0.73, 0.38, and 0.32) (all: p<0.01) . In the Area break group, a significant correlation was found between QOL score and the total and S, F, R, T VAS score (all: p<0.05). In the Spot break group, a significant correlation was found between QOL score and S, F VAS score (all: p<0.01). In the Line break group, a significant correlation was found between QOL score and the total and S, F, R VAS score (all: p<0.01). In the Random break group, a significant correlation was found between QOL score and S, F VAS score (all: p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest a relationship between QOL score and subjective symptoms, and that the QOL of dry-eye patients is strongly determined by tear-film instability and blink-related friction. In the Area break group, symptoms were affected by various pathologies.