Abstract
Purpose :
The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) is a validated symptom questionnaire commonly used in clinical trials and in clinical practice. Correlations with the overall OSDI score have been reported previously. Herein we assess if individual OSDI questions are correlated with specific clinical signs.
Methods :
This multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional study assessed patients who presented to participating clinics for ocular surface disease care. In addition to completion of the OSDI, measures were taken for tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) using the NEI scale, lissamine green conjunctival staining (LGS) using the NEI scale, Schirmer’s test, and meibomian gland grading (MGG) which was calculated as the sum of grades for extent of plugged glands and meibum quality (range: 0-8; higher score indicates worse MG status). The worse eye for each of these clinical signs was included in the spearman correlation analyses with Bonferroni correction.
Results :
This preliminary analysis included 250 participants recruited across 13 sites. The median age of the participants was 44.0 years (IQR=31), and 80.8% of them were female. The median overall OSDI score was 37.50 (IQR=35.42). The median TBUT, CFS, LGS, Schirmer’s test, and MGG were 4.0 sec (IQR=2.7), 1.0 (IQR=3.0), 2.0 (IQR=3.0), 11.0 (IQR=10.0), 5.0 (IQR=3.0), respectively. Significant correlations were identified between decreased TBUT and difficulty reading (r=-0.166, p=0.009). Increased CFS was associated with increased frequency of gritty sensation (r=0.166, p=0.008). Decreased Schirmer’s test was associated with increased symptom frequency in windy conditions (r=-0.195, p=0.002). MGG show no significant correlations.
Conclusions :
This study shows that TBUT was associated with difficulty reading while CFS was associated with frequency of grittiness. Schirmer’s test was associated with frequency in windy conditions. These results suggest that individual questions within the OSDI may provide an indication of what clinical signs are compromised, and thus, what may need to be addressed in treatment.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.