Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To assess the impact of dry eye symptoms on daily activities and direct medical resource utilization on a sample of Sjogren's Syndrome patients. Methods: A survey consisting of the Dry Eye Disease Impact Questionnaire© (DEDIQ) and the Ocular Surface Disease Index© (OSDI) was completed by a convenience sample of 52 patients with self-reported dry eye attending a Sjogren's Society Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA. The survey assessed dry eye symptom frequency, bothersomeness, severity and discomfort and the impact of symptoms on patients' daily activities and healthcare resource utilization. Results: Ninety-six percent of patients surveyed were female. Patients, on average, had dry eye symptoms for 11.6 years. Overall symptom severity was rated between moderate and severe (mean 2.4; four point scale mild to very severe) and overall symptom discomfort was 5.68 (0 = no discomfort, 10 = intolerable). The most bothersome symptoms reported were dryness (34%) and sensitivity to light (17%). The mean total OSDI score was 0.49 (0 = no, 1 = complete disability due to dry eye symptoms). The majority of patients (78%) rated their symptoms as the same or worse than one year ago despite the significant use of medical resources. Eighty-four percent of respondents reported visiting at least one doctor for their dry eye symptoms during the past year. Most (93%) patients visited Ophthalmologists (mean visits/past year=2.89), but many sought care by Rheumatologists (65%, mean visits/past year=4.89), Optometrists (40%, mean visit/past year=1.41), and General Practitioners (33%, mean visit/past year=3.57). At least 54% of patients reported using dry eye treatments at least 15 days per month, on average, 8.4 times per day. Patients reported to be neutral to somewhat satisfied (mean 3.52; five point scale very dissatisfied to very satisfied) with their current treatment(s). In general, daily activities (e.g. reading, computer use, work, driving, watching TV) were moderately to quite a bit troubled by symptoms. The most frequent activities mentioned as impacted were reading and computer use. Conclusion: Despite frequent use of medical resources, most patients reported their dry eye symptoms as the same or worse than the prior year and a significant impact on daily activities. Improved medical management and development of better therapies for dry eye patients is warranted.
Keywords: 376 cornea: tears/tear film/dry eye • 351 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: health care delivery/economics/manpower • 369 cornea: clinical science