Prevalence of dry eye during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people devoted longer time to screen viewing due to the need for study, work, and online social activities, instead of outdoor activities, which may have led to an increase in dry eye symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of dry eye during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from January 1, 2020 to October 20, 2022. Cross-sectional surveys on dry eye prevalence conducted after January 1, 2020 were included. Two review authors independently performed data extraction and assessed study quality. The random-effects model was used to analyze the prevalence of dry eye, and the odds ratio was used to assess the strength of the association between variables. Subgroup analysis was performed to detect heterogeneity, the leave-one-out method for sensitivity analysis, and the Egger test for publication bias. Results A total of eleven studies with 15692 individuals met the eligibility criteria. The prevalence of dry eye during the COVID-19 pandemic was 61.0% (95%CI: 51.8%-70.2%) globally and 56.7% (95%CI: 45.3%-68.1%) in Asia. The prevalence of dry eye had significant differences in sex and visual display time, with higher prevalence among females and visual display time of more than 4 hours per day. Subgroup analysis was performed based on diagnostic tools, study population, and average age. A significant difference was found in diagnostic tools, but no significant change in heterogeneity (P<0.05). The leave-one-out method showed stable results, and the Egger test identified no significant publication bias. Conclusion The prevalence of dry eye during the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly higher than before, and a higher prevalence is found among females and those having a visual display time of more than 4 hours per day.

Recommendations for nutritional supplements for dry eye disease: current advances

“…The prevalence of DED, which surged to as high as 61.0% during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Ji et al, 2023 ), underscores the influence of increased exposure to visual display terminals and widespread mask usage during the pandemic, which likely exacerbated the condition by decreasing blink frequency and increasing thermal air currents over the ocular area, thus enhancing tear evaporation rates ( Uwimana et al, 2022 ; Schargus et al, 2023 ). Early detection and management of DED are imperative to reduce both economic and psychological impacts and to maintain visual function ( Mylona et al, 2023 ; Zhmud et al, 2023 ).…”