Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: Patients with dry eye syndrome (DES) often complain of problems with everyday tasks such as reading and driving. However, systematic study of the impact of DES on vision related quality of life is lacking. The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of DES on a number of tasks related to vision related quality of life.Methods: We identified a subgroup of 450 participants in the Womens Health Study who received a supplementary questionnaire asking them how much on a scale of 1 to 10 symptoms of dry eye limited their everyday activities, and to what degree problems with their eyes limited them in a number of common activities including reading, driving during the day and at night, working at the computer, their professional activity, and watching TV. The selected subgroup consisted of 150 subjects with clinically diagnosed DES or constant symptoms, and 300 subjects without these characteristics. We used logistic regression models to examine the relationship of DES with reported problems with everyday activities. Results:Of the 450 participants invited, 408 (91%) completed the supplementary questionnaire, including 142 with DES. In models controlling for age and having had an eye exam in the previous two years, there were significant associations between having DES and having problems with reading (OR=2.66, 95% CI 1.74–4.05, P< 0.0001); using computer (OR=2.48, 95% CI 1.61–3.83, P< 0.0001); carrying out professional work (OR=2.08, 95% CI 1.35–3.20, P= 0.0008); driving at night (OR=2.03, 95% CI 1.34–3.09, P=0.0009); and watching TV (OR=1.58, 95% CI 1.00–2.50, P= 0.05). In addition, DES subjects reported a significantly greater overall impact of dry eye symptoms on problems with everyday activities (P< 0.0001). Conclusions:DES is associated with an adverse impact on vision related quality of life as several very common and important tasks of daily living appear to be affected by this condition. Further study of this important public health problem deserves attention.
Keywords: cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • quality of life