Characterizing dry eyes and hay fever with AllerSearch, a mobile health application in Japan.

Abstract

Purpose : Dry eye (DE) and hay fever (HF) are multifactorial diseases that are often difficult to characterize due to the diversity of symptoms. A digital extension of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) can help collect a vast number of patient subjective data regarding various health metrics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics between DE, HF and other comorbid risk factors using a mobile health application, AllerSearch.

Methods : The cross-sectional study was crowdsourced across Japan to individuals (n=11284) who downloaded AllerSearch between February 2018 and May 2020. Data collected includes demographics, medical history, lifestyle, quality of life, and DE and HF symptoms. DE symptoms were based on the Japanese version of the Ocular Surface Disease Index (J-OSDI). Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between the severity of DE symptoms and HF symptoms. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with symptomatic and non-symptomatic DE among individuals with HF.

Results : Among 11284 individuals, 9041 were classified as having HF. The prevalence of symptomatic DE was 49% (4429/9041) for individuals with HF. Based on the J-OSDI scores, severe HF symptoms (coefficient [95% CI]) were significantly associated with mild DE (1.33 [1.10-1.57]), moderate DE (2.16 [1.84-2.48]), and severe DE (3.80 [3.50-4.11]). Individuals with symptoms of HF also reported mild (24.3%), moderate (11.1%), and severe (1.4%) DE symptoms based on the J-OSDI scores. Additional risk factors associated with symptomatic DE and HF were female sex (P<0.001), lower body mass index (P<0.001), hypertension (P=0.008), smoking (P<0.001), liver (P=0.002) and respiratory disease (P=0.005), sleep <6 hours/day (P<0.001), and current contact lens wearers (P<0.001).

Conclusions : Severe DE was significantly associated with symptoms of HF. Detecting DE among individuals with HF and other comorbidities may allow for effective prevention and intervention by providing individuals a personalized treatment tool.

This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.