Abstract
Purpose :
To compare ocular surface parameters in women with dry eye disease (DED) who use mascara and/or eyeliner to those who do not.
Methods :
At their initial visit to the Norwegian Dry Eye Clinic, all patients were examined by the same physician using a standardized clinical set-up. Patients were included if they met the diagnostic criteria for DED proposed by the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS). As very few men in the sample wore makeup, only women were included. A two-sample t-test and a significance level of p<0.05 were chosen for statistical analyses.
Results :
Of the 412 women with DED, 126 used either mascara or eyeliner on a daily basis, 86 used both, and 200 used neither product. Except for a higher Schirmer (ST) value in women using both mascara and eyeliner (16.7 mm ± 9.3 SD) compared to women using neither product (14.3 mm ± 9.3 SD; p<0.05), the ocular surface parameters fluorescein break-up time (FBUT) and ocular surface staining assessed according to the Oxford grading scheme (OSS) did not show significant difference between the two groups (p=0.64 and p=0.37, respectively). Similarly, women using mascara (with or without concurrent eyeliner use) had higher ST values (18.7 mm ± 9.8 SD) than women not using mascara (14.1 mm ± 9.2 SD; p<0.001). However, FBUT and OSS did not show significant associations with mascara use (p=0.77 and p=0.16, respectively). ST, FBUT, and OSS did not differ with eyeliner use (regardless of concurrent mascara use) in women with DED (p=0.73, p=0.55, and p=0.50, respectively).
Conclusions :
Except for a higher ST value associated with mascara use, no differences were found in FBUT or OSS among women with DED using mascara and/or eyeliner compared to those who do not. In light of the current literature on eyelid cosmetics, our clinical data was unexpected. A prospective, randomized study is warranted to further explore this much debated issue.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.