The Association of Dry Eye Symptoms with Socioeconomic Factors and Quality of Life

Journal Title: Journal of Clinical Research and Ophthalmology - Year 2014, Vol 1, Issue 1

Abstract

Purpose: Dry eye is a common condition with significant morbidity and socioeconomic burden. The associated demographic factors that worsen utility in dry eye patients were not known. There were many questionnaire instruments advocated for dry eye documentation but none of these have been shown to correlate to quality of life (QoL). We aimed at examining the health related utility values in a group of dry eye patients and their associations. Methods: This was a hospital based prospective cross-sectional study conducted at the dry eye clinic of Singapore National Eye Centre. Patients with dry eye symptoms were randomized to one of the two validated symptom questionnaires, Standard Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) or Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE) questionnaires. All patients underwent an evaluation of socio economic factors and utility was assessed using Time-Trade-Off methodby 4 trained interviewers. Results: We recruited 178 participants with dry eye symptoms (mean age was 56.4 (SD: 14.1) years, 77% female), 85 were assessed with SPEED and 93 with SANDE. The utility values encountered were skewed with only 52% of patients having a reduced utility (median=1.0) with a mean of 0.984 (SD: 0.11). The mean SPEED was 11.7 (5.6), and the mean SANDE was 56.8 (22.6). A higher symptom score was associated with a utility less than 1 with odds ratio 2.75 (95%CI 1.50-5.04). The correlation between SANDE and utility was r=-0.295 (-0.47 to -0.097) and corresponding correlation for SPEED and utility was not significant. To detect a utility less than 1, SPEED had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.63 (95%CI 0.51-0.75) and the SANDE, 0.67 (0.56-0.77). Conclusions: The health related QoL was relatively good in people with dry eye symptoms in this study. Increased symptoms were associated with decreasing QoL but the association was in general weak. This implied that causes of reduced QoL apart from symptoms, such as costs, treatment inconvenience or adverse effects should be explored.

Authors and Affiliations

Louis Tong, Sharon Yeo, Han Tun Aung

Keywords

Related Articles

Assessing Adherence to Annual Dilated Eye Exam Recommendations in Patients with Diabetes and Erectile Dysfunction

Aims: This prospective, observational, pilot study assessed adherence rates of annual dilated fundus examinations (DFEs) among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and erectile dysfunction (ED) in a university-based prac...

Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Optic Neuritis in an Immunocompetent Patient: Case Report

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to present a case of optic neuropathy as a manifestation of secondary syphilis in an HIV-negative patient. Methods: We describe a case of gradual loss of visual acuity in the left e...

Patient Adherence to Follow-Up in Clinical Research: A Systematic Review of Measurements, Associated Factors and Intervention Strategies

Objectives: A patient’s adherence to follow-up (AFU) plays a key role in the implementation of clinical research with respect to cost and validity. Most present studies focus exclusively on some specific steps during cli...

Ocular Fundus changes in pregnancy induced hypertension – A case series study

Back ground: Pregnancy Induced Hypertension is a challenging stigma in the field of obstetrics and one of major contributors to maternal and perinatal mortality. PIH is a hypertensive disorder in pregnancy that occurs af...

Ocular Safety of Intravitreal Injections of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments in a Prospective Observational Cohort Study in Europe

Purpose: Estimate the incidence of pertinent ocular adverse events (POAEs) related to intravitreal (IVT)injections for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatments in Europe. Methods: Ophthalmologists prospectively...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP230299
  • DOI 10.17352/2455-1414.000002
  • Views 108
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Louis Tong, Sharon Yeo, Han Tun Aung (2014). The Association of Dry Eye Symptoms with Socioeconomic Factors and Quality of Life. Journal of Clinical Research and Ophthalmology, 1(1), 6-13. https://europub.co.uk./articles/-A-230299