Posters

Patient perceptions of dry eye symptoms and treatment

Poster Details

First Author: S.Ali Ahmad UK

Co Author(s):    H. Naveed   M. Dimitry                 

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common problem in patients presenting to general practice. It is estimated that up to one third of people over 65 may have DED, and this is likely to be an underestimate of the true disease burden. If uncontrolled, DED can have a significant negative impact on the quality of life of patients, with blurring of vision and eye discomfort leading to difficulty in day-to-day tasks such as driving or reading. In this study, we aimed to identify patients own understanding and experience of dry eye symptoms and treatment.

Setting:

This study was carried out in a single GP practice in Braintree District, UK. A two-part questionnaire was disseminated and results were collected and analysed anonymously.

Methods:

Twenty patients were randomly selected to complete a two-part questionnaire. Part 1 was a 7 question open-ended survey designed to assess patients own knowledge of what constituted dry eye symptoms and their awareness of treatment options for them. Part 2 was the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), a standardised questionnaire used to assess the impact of dry eye symptoms on quality of life. The scores were tabulated and responses of Part 1 were combined with Part 2 to see what the overall trend was of individual understanding of dry eye symptoms compared to the effect on quality of life.

Results:

For Part 1, 55% of patients reported no problems with their eyes, with 70% reporting no symptoms. 75% of patients were unaware of treatments for dry eyes and 95% were unaware of preservative free drops. 50% of patients were dissatisfied with funding restriction on prescriptions for drops, with 20% aware of over the counter drops available. In the Part 2 OSDI questionnaire, responses ranged from scores of 56.3 (moderate disease) to 0 (no disease). 50% of responders had scores of greater than 10 implying mild symptoms. The mean score was 17.6, implying mild/moderate overall symptoms affecting quality of life.

Conclusions:

Our study shows that patients did not understand the spectrum of DED symptoms and were unaware that blurred vision, photosensitivity, and hindrance to using screens can be commonly associated with dry eyes. There was also a significant lack of awareness of the treatments available over-the-counter, which is now more relevant as many UK commissioning groups have nullified repeat prescriptions for DED.  Public and patient awareness of DED should be increased to facilitate earlier self-recognition and treatment.

Financial Disclosure:

None