
==== Front
Res Sq
ResearchSquare
Research Square
2693-5015
American Journal Experts

39184079
10.21203/rs.3.rs-4738536/v1
10.21203/rs.3.rs-4738536
preprint
1
Article
Associations of Severity of Dry Eye Symptoms and Signs with the Quality of Life in the Dry Eye Assessment and Management (DREAM) Study
Cheng Ellie
Han Katherine
Chen Yineng
Asbell Penny
Ying Gui-Shuang
12 8 2024
rs.3.rs-4738536https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-4738536/v1
nihpp-rs4738536v1.pdf
Abstract

Purpose: To assess associations of dry eye disease (DED) severity of symptoms and signs with the quality of life in patients with moderate-to-severe DED. Methods: At baseline, 6 and 12 months, participants (N=535) were assessed for DED symptoms using Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and signs using conjunctival staining, corneal staining, tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer’s testing, meibomian gland dysfunction, and tear osmolarity. Quality of life was evaluated using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), consisting of Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS). Spearman correlation coefficients (rho) were used to evaluate correlations between the severity of DED and SF-36. Results: At baseline, Worse DED symptoms indicated by higher OSDI total score were correlated with worse PCS (rho=-0.13, P=0.002) and MCS (rho=-0.09, P=0.03) of SF-36. The worse vision-related function was correlated with a worse PCS score (rho=-0.18, P<0.0001), and worse ocular symptoms were correlated with a worse MCS score (rho=-0.15, P<0.001). More severe DED signs including corneal staining (rho=-0.22, P<0.001), Schirmer test (rho=0.11, P=0.01), TBUT (rho=0.14, P<0.001), and tear osmolarity (rho=-0.12, P=0.02) were correlated with worse PCS score but were not correlated with MCS score (P≥0.39). ln longitudinal analysis, only worsening of ocular symptoms was significantly correlated with worsening of MCS score (rho=-0.09, P=0.04). Conclusion: In patients with moderate-to-severe DED, there were significant yet weak correlations between dry eye severity of symptoms/signs and physical or mental components of SF-36. Healthcare professionals should offer DED symptom relief and support for the emotional and practical challenges in their daily lives.
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