Dry eye syndrome and allergic conjunctivitis in the pediatric population

Abstract

Purpose:To assess the comorbidity of dry eye syndrome (DES) and changes in corneal curvature in children with allergies.Materials and Methods:This prospective, comparative, and observational interventional study included 49 patients, who presented to the Ophthalmology Clinic of a State Hospital in Turkey. There were 25 patients with clinically diagnosed seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (AC) (with complaints of itching and papilla formation of conjunctiva; AC group) and 24 healthy children (control group). There with no significant differences in age between groups. Using the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, we performed tear film break-up time (BUT), central reflex tear meniscus height (TMH-R) measurement, Schirmer test on both groups and evaluated keratometry (K1, K2) and spherical equivalent (SE).Results:Patients ranged in age from 6 to 18 years (median age, 11.79 years; 46.9% male; 53.1% female). The papillary reaction was severe in 10% of patients with AC. The prevalence of dry eye in children with AC was 12%. There was no statistically significant difference between groups for K1, K2, and SE (P > 0.05, all comparisons). BUT was statistically different (P = 0.004) between groups, indicating that a higher OSDI the tear film BUT was lower (ρ = 0.567). Statistically, significant negative moderate correlations were found between papillary reaction and the Schirmer test, BUT, and TMH-R (ρ = 0.454, −0.412, −0.419, and P = 0.001, 0.003, 0.002, respectively)Conclusions:The evaluation of pediatric patients with AC requires further attention to ensure an adequate diagnosis of DES.

A prospective comparative study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of olopatadine eye drops and bepotastine eye drops in subjects of vernal kerato conjunctivitis

“…1 The prevalence of allergic diseases among children between 6-14 years is gradually increasing and varies from 0.3% to 20.5%. 2 A single cause for allergic disease cannot be pointed out and we should consider a contribution of many factors like genetics, early childhood exposure, air pollution, pets and other factors. 2 Ocular allergy represents one of the most common conditions encountered by ophthalmologists.…”

“…2 A single cause for allergic disease cannot be pointed out and we should consider a contribution of many factors like genetics, early childhood exposure, air pollution, pets and other factors. 2 Ocular allergy represents one of the most common conditions encountered by ophthalmologists. Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) both acute or chronic, is associated with allergic rhinitis (AR) in 30%-70% of affected individuals.…”

Total Tear IgE Levels Correlate with Allergenic and Irritating Environmental Exposures in Individuals with Dry Eye

“…It is plausible that such histopathologic changes result in increased allergen penetration at the ocular surface. This is supported by the fact that exposure exacerbates AC [36], with one study citing tobacco smoke as a trigger for 6.1% of AC patients ( n = 2817) [8]. Moreover, tobacco smoke has been shown to modulate IgE expression in murine models of allergic disease [37,38].…”

Clinical and allergological analysis of ocular manifestations of sick building syndrome

“…From these controversial results, it is considered that multiple elements and air status affect the result of BUT. In this study, BUT was carried out only in SBS cases due to the study design, and recent studies mentioned that the incidence of dry eyes has increased in patients with ACD 33,34. It is estimated that chronic pathological change seems to affect the ocular surface, leading to abnormalities in tear film stability, epithelial cells integrity, and corneal nerve function in ACD,31 whereas this pathophysiological feature cannot be applied to SBS because of its basically reversible nature.…”