Abstract
Purpose :
Ocular graft-versus-host disease (oGVHD) is a condition with a high symptom and treatment burden for affected individuals. In this study, we evaluated patient-reported experiences with dry eye disease symptoms, treatment and eye care.
Methods :
The study was approved by the University of Illinois at Chicago IRB. An electronic REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) survey was designed and a link to the survey was provided to foundations and support organizations for conditions commonly associated with dry eye disease and GVHD for distribution to their members. Individuals were asked if they had been diagnosed with dry eye disease, systemic disease, demographics, current dry eye symptoms and treatment, primary eye care provider and number of eye care exams required per year. They also completed the Ocular Surface Diease Index (OSDI) Descriptive statistics are reported.
Results :
There were 639 survey respondents of which 79 reported a diagnosis of oGVHD. The average age was 55 ± 10 (range 22-73 years, n= 75), 32 male and 46 females. Individuals reported diagnosis of dry eye disease an average of 5.8 ± 5.7 years prior (range 0 to 31 years).
Individuals with oGVHD reported an average of 9 ± 2.2 symptoms (range: 0-11, n=79) of 11 queried ocular symptoms including: gritty feeling (87%, 68/79), blur (81%, 64/79) and sensitivity to light (80%. 63/79) as the most common.
The most frequent current treatments were artificial tears 87% (69/79); warm compresses 53% (42/79), punctal occlusion and contact lenses; each 38% (30/70). In patient with oGVHD, dry eye disease is primarily managed by ophthalmology 76% (57/75), optometry 15% (11/75), or hematology 5% (4/75). Individuals reported an average 4 ± 3 (range 0 to 20, n =75) visits per year related to the dry eye disease.
Average OSDI score was 56 ± 23 (n=79).
Conclusions :
Individuals with oGVHD in this series continue to report a high frequency of dry eye symptoms including gritty feeling, blurred vision and photophobia. The averate OSDI score is in the severe dry eye range. Not all patients report receiving treatment from a trained eye care specialist.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.