Attitudes towards Diagnostic Tests and Therapies for Dry Eye Disease

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to survey the attitudes of optometrists and ophthalmologists, located in a number of different countries, towards diagnostic tests and therapies for dry eye disease. Methods: A web-based questionnaire was used to survey attitudes using forced-choice questions and Likert scales. Results: Sixty-one respondents (23 ophthalmologists and 38 optometrists) reported a wide range of patient dry eye symptoms. A large variation in use of diagnostic tests was noted. Patient symptoms and fluorescein staining were reported to be significantly more valuable and more frequently performed than any other test. Artificial tear supplements and improved lid hygiene were the preferred therapeutic options selected by the entire group. The results demonstrated a wide variation in attitudes in relation to satisfaction with the range of available diagnostic and therapeutic options. Conclusions: This study indicates that the interest for the issue of dry eye is relatively limited amongst eye professionals, as demonstrated by the poor participation in the questionnaire.

An Evidence-Based Analysis of Australian Optometrists’ Dry Eye Practices

“…The strong preference to use TBUT with fluorescein is in agreement with previous studies 7Y10 ; although this technique is easily performed and commonly applied, fluorescein destabilizes the tear film. 7,11 That more than 90% of respondents indicated that they routinely evaluate MGs may reflect the influence of the recent commercial availability of lipid replacement artificial tears and/or increased awareness of the importance of MG abnormalities in dry eye subsequent to the publication of the findings from the International Workshop on MGD. 29 Interestingly, optometrists who nominated an interest in dry eye disease tended to use the noninvasive observation of interference fringes more frequently than nonspecialist practitioners; this difference may reflect an enhanced understanding of fluorescein's limitations by this subgroup.…”

“…A number of these previous surveys suffered from a low response rate 9,11 and/or were restricted to the sampling of internationally renowned experts in dry eye 7,10 and are therefore not likely to be representative of the general practice behaviors of optometrists. Only one study considered practitioner preferences for dry eye treatment.…”

“…Only one study considered practitioner preferences for dry eye treatment. 11 Furthermore, none of these earlier studies considered either the source or quality of scientific evidence that formed the basis for the practitioners' clinical decisions. 11 Furthermore, none of these earlier studies considered either the source or quality of scientific evidence that formed the basis for the practitioners' clinical decisions.…”

Comparing self‐reported optometric dry eye clinical practices in Australia and the United Kingdom: is there scope for practice improvement?

“…A number of previous studies have sought to evaluate the self‐reported dry eye clinical practices of eye care providers. Together, these studies indicate for significant variations in clinical diagnostic approaches, with preferences for examination techniques being influenced by factors such as the health profession (optometrist vs ophthalmologist) and demographic (region of the world) of the survey population . The majority of these studies were, however, undertaken prior to the DEWS systematic reviews, which were integral for achieving international consensus to both define the disease and outline protocols for clinical care.…”

Agreement in dry eye management between optometrists and general practitioners in primary health care in the Netherlands

“…show the highest sensitivity and specificity for dry eye diagnosis supported with diagnostic 402 tests [3], [9], [13], [14], [22]. In this investigation no specific questionnaire was used for DED, 403 and the optometrists often used personally designed questionnaires.…”