Sharmistha Behera 1 , Sonali Sahoo 2 , Gopeswari Hota 3 , Bidisha Mahapatra
BACKGROUND Dry eye disease is a quite common as well as under-diagnosed disorder of the eye. It causes varying degrees of symptoms of ocular discomfort such as irritation, itching and watering of eyes. MATERIALS AND METHODS 280 consecutive patients attending Ophthalmology OPD with ocular surface symptoms described in dry eye diseases were included in the study. They were subjected to objective tests namely Schirmer’s test, Tear break up time and ocular surface stains to confirm the diagnosis of dry eye. RESULTS Proportion of Dry eye disease was 66.4% in the study population. Majority was in the age group of 50-59 years (26.5%). Females predominated in the study population (60.36%). Postmenopausal age group was found to more affected. Level 2 dry eye was the predominant type in the study group (50.27%). CONCLUSION Out of the patients presenting with symptoms of ocular surface discomfort, a significant number had Dry eye disease. The prevalence of Dry eye disease increases with advancing age. Another important association is menopause.
