Abstract
Purpose :
Ocular surface changes such as dry eyes have been reported in glaucoma patients on topical medication. Although the prevalence of glaucoma is known to be high in Ghana, little is known about dry eye disease (DED) among the Ghanaian glaucoma population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of DED among glaucoma patients in Ghana.
Methods :
This hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 consecutive glaucoma patients who visited the eye clinic over a period of 4 weeks and had been on topical glaucoma medication for at least 6 months. All data was collected at a single visit during the study period. Participants’ eyes were examined to eliminate presence of other existing ocular pathology. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaires were administered to all participants. Tear profiles of participants were assessed with Schirmer test strips (Schirmer 1) first followed by Tear-Break-Up-Time (TBUT). Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS (Version 20.0. Chicago: SPSS Inc), an alpha value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Chi square test was used to evaluate the relationship between age and prevalence of DED.
Results :
The mean ± SD age of the 100 participants was 60.41 ± 14.13 years [males (40) = 58.15 ± 15.87; females (60) = 61.92 ± 12.77]. Symptomatic DED as revealed by the OSDI was found among 81.0% of the participants with 24.0% having severe symptoms. Schirmer test showed mild to moderate decreased tear production among 42.0% of the participants, and severe tear deficiency among 13.0% of the participants. TBUT showed abnormal tear quality in 87.0% of participants. Prevalence of DED was highest among the 56 to 65 age group when using OSDI, X2 (9, N = 100) = 28.3, p = .02 and TBUT, X2 (10, N = 100) = 26.1, p = .01. OSDI revealed severe symptoms among 15/60 (25.0%) females and 9/40 (22.5%) the males. Severe decreased tear production as shown by the Schirmer test was present in 8/60 (13.3%) females and 5/40 (12.5%). TBUT revealed moderate DED among 13/60 (21.7%) females and 12/40 (30.0%) males.
Conclusions :
A high proportion of glaucoma patients reported symptoms of DED with the greatest prevalence found among older adults. DED may impact the long term quality of life of glaucoma patients in Ghana.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.