Impact of symptomatic dry eye on vision-related daily activities: The Singapore Malay Eye Study

Abstract

Purpose To examine the impact of symptomatic dry eye on vision-related daily activities. Methods A population-based survey of eye diseases was conducted on 3280 (78.7% response rate) Malay persons aged X40 years, who were randomly selected from designated areas in southwestern Singapore. Participants were administered a standardized dry eye questionnaire consisting of six questions on symptoms, a questionnaire on vision-related daily activities, and underwent a comprehensive systemic and ocular examination. Symptomatic dry eye was defined as one or more self-reported symptoms that were frequently present (ranked as often or all the time). Logistic regression method was used to examine the relationship of symptomatic dry eye with difficulty in performing daily activities. Results In adults without visual impairment, symptomatic dry eye after adjusting for age, gender, and presenting visual acuity was significantly associated with difficulty in vision-related activities such as navigating stairs (odds ratio (OR) ¼ 1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-3.00), recognizing friends (OR ¼ 1.99, 95% CI: 1.45-2.73), reading road signs (OR ¼ 1.87, 95% CI: 1.36-2.57), reading newspaper (OR ¼ 1.50, 95% CI: 1.11-2.04), watching television (OR ¼ 1.90, 95% CI: 1.26-2.87), cooking (OR ¼ 1.94, 95% CI: 1.02-3.71), and driving at night (OR ¼ 2.06, 95% CI: 1.32-3.21). Conclusion Symptomatic dry eye was associated with difficulty in performing vision-dependent tasks, independent of visual acuity and other factors. These findings have public health significance and suggest that the visual dysfunction in dry eye should be further characterized.

Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease in an Elderly Korean Population

“…[1][2][3][4][5] In this study, we aimed to assess the populationbased prevalence of and risk factors for DED in an elderly Korean population.…”

The Impact of Dry Eye Disease on Visual Performance While Driving

“…11 Beyond conventional clinical examination and visual acuity measurement, a specific evaluation of the visual function in daily living tasks is now required to better define the impact of the disease on this population's health status but also to better assess eligibility or changes over time in clinical trials. Although DED patients commonly complain of difficulties in doing vision-related daily activities, as previously reported using quality-of-life questionnaires, 12 no study has been conducted to determine whether or not DED could be responsible for an objective decrease in visual performance while driving. The present study addresses the impact of DED on a crucial daily activity of modern living.…”

Using the real-life vision test to assess the functional vision of age-related cataract patients

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“…Vision-related questionnaires and surveys have grown by a big margin in recent years. 7,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] They provided key information about the impact of visual damage from the patients' perspective. However, the results of the questionnaires are usually subjective, overreported or underreported owing to diversified factors other than visual diseases, such as personal biases, desire to please, and desire to mislead.…”