New link found connecting migraines and dry eye disease

A large population-based study of almost 73,000 patients treated in healthcare facilities affiliated with the University of North Carolina (UNC) found that patients with migraines have a 20% higher risk of having DED after taking factors like medication into account.The researchers also found that among men aged over 65, having migraines doubled the likelihood of DED. For women the same age, DED risk increased 2.5x with regular migraines.“Physicians caring for patients with a history of migraine headaches should be aware that these patients may be at risk at risk for comorbid DED,” study co-author Dr Richard Davis, an ophthalmologist at the UNC at Chapel Hill, said.Although the connections between migraine and DED are not clear, the inflammatory process that occurs in both conditions may be partially responsible.The findings were published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.