Abstract
Purpose :
Only little information is currently available regarding dry eye in developing parts of the world. Therefore,the aim of this study was investigate the prevalence of dry eyes among a population in Chennai, India.
Methods :
156 subjects aged 7-76 years (mean 26+/-17) participated and were obtained from two different groups, one of staff and students at the Elite School of Optometry (ESO), Chennai, India and one by outreach activities by ESO among aid-seekers in a normal population. Each patient were analysed for non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT), tear meniscus height, Meibomian gland disease, blink rate, palpebral aperture, and were asked to fill out a symptom questionnaire (OSDI). Data regarding gender, age, hours exposed to air-condition, mobile phone and computer use, and use of makeup and medications were also collected. The patient was diagnosed as having dry eyes if both NIBUT and OSDI met the criteria for dry eyes (NIBUT <10 s; OSDI score >12).
Results :
The prevalence of dry eye in Chennai based on positive NIBUT and OSDI combined was 31%. Even though the percentage was higher for women, no statistically significant difference between men and women was found. A positive significant correlation was found between subjects exposed to air-condition (p=0.0031) and dry eye, and subjects not using makeup and dry eye (p= 0.0048).
Conclusions :
The study showed a high prevalence of dry eyes based on OSDI-score and NIBUT. Our study indicated a somewhat higher prevalence than earlier Indian studies with a higher prevalence of dry eye among females than men, albeit not statistically significant.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.