Women twice as likely to contract dry eye disease

The collaborative research, conducted by scientists from global biotech company Shire, Harvard University and the University of Utah, also found that dry eyes became more common with age. The prevalence of dry eye among 18–34-year-olds was 2.7% compared to 18.6% among adults aged 75 and older.The results were taken from the 2013 National Health and Wellness Survey, which was conducted by healthcare consulting firm Kantar Health. According to the survey, women were more than twice as likely to contract the disease, with more than 11.1 million cases reported, compared to 5.3 million in men.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: The higher prevalence amongst women could be a side effect of hormonal changes, -WHO:Dr Caroline Blackie, Research scientist and director of medical affairs at TearScience}}It also revealed that many DED cases are undiagnosed, with large proportion of respondents claiming to have experienced DED symptoms, but not sought a proper medical diagnosis.Research scientist and director of medical affairs at TearScience, Dr Caroline Blackie, suggested the higher prevalence amongst women could be a side effect of hormonal changes, especially with regard to their impact on Meibomian glands. Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGB) is a leading cause of DED.“Our threshold for diagnosis in 2017 is not what it was in 2013 or earlier and not only that, but also public awareness of dry eye has increased over the past five years. This also will drive up diagnoses going forward,” Blackie said, while pointing out that the numbers could be higher due to the changing definitions of DED, even without the estimates for undiagnosed cases.According to Blackie the significance of the study calls for detailed foresight and better approaches to DED treatment.“The conventional style of practice in dry eye cases is to wait for the patient to tell you there is a probl, which is suboptimal and reactive care. We can do so much better,” Blackie said.“We know MGD is the leading cause of dry eye. Almost every patient you see with dry eye has MGD, which negatively impacts every aspect of ocular surface health, including tear film host-defence, corneal nerve health, conjunctival health, and much more.”According to Blackie, one of the most effective ways to prevent DED is to determine and treat symptoms of MGD before it progresses to chronic inflammation and discomfort.