Chronic Dry Eye Information:

Symptoms of Chronic Dry Eye and Impact on Patients

No two cases of Chronic Dry Eye are exactly the same. Chronic Dry Eye patients often experience different symptoms or describe their dry eye symptoms in different ways. Other patients may describe Chronic Dry Eye in terms of the impact it has on their daily activities.

Listed below are symptoms reported by patients with this condition:^1-4

• Feeling of dryness and discomfort
• Itching/burning
• Irritation/pain
• Need to blink constantly
• Foreign body sensation (“sand in the eye”)
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• Blurred vision/vision disturbances
• Lack of tears alternating with excessive tearing
• Difficulty opening eyes after sleeping
• Contact lenses tend to “stick”
• More and more frequent need to use artificial tears

Many functions and activities that people with healthy eyes take for granted are disrupted or limited in people with Chronic Dry Eye, such as:1,4

• Reading for any length of time
• Working on the computer for any length of time
• Doing “close” work (such as embroidering, sewing, etc.)
• Driving at night
• Being in bright sunlight
• Being in an environment with bright or fluorescent lights

Click here for a validated instrument accepted by the FDA that helps you gain symptom information from the patient who may have Chronic Dry Eye.

What impact does Chronic Dry Eye have on patients’ day-to-day lives?

Even moderate cases of Chronic Dry Eye can impact negatively on a patient’s activities, often preventing the patient from performing even the simplest daily tasks. Artificial tears can provide temporary relief, but do not address the causes of the condition and do not improve tear production or composition. Punctal plugs keep tears on the eye surface longer, but one study indicated that this may actually worsen dry eye symptoms by increasing the concentrations of pathogenic factors in the tear fluid.5 In a utilities assessment survey study of patients with Chronic Dry Eye (Dry Eye Disease), it was concluded that Chronic Dry Eye has an impact on patients’ day-to-day lives comparable to that of moderate-to-severe (class III/IV) angina. 6

A consultation in which patients are encouraged to describe their symptoms and the impact of their condition in detail will lead to better, long-term treatment decisions and results.

Click here to see and hear actual Chronic Dry Eye patients speak for themselves about their symptoms and the impact of these symptoms on daily activities.

References:
1. Schaumberg DA, Sullivan DA, Buring JE, Dana MR. Prevalence of dry eye syndrome among US women. Am J Ophthalmol. 2003;136:2318-2326.
2. Sall K, Stevenson OD, Mundorf TK, et al. Two multicenter, randomized studies of the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion in moderate to severe dry eye disease. Opthalmology. 2000;107:631-639.
3. Lemp MA. Epidemiology and classification of dry eye. In: Sullivan et al, Lacrimal Gland, Tear Film, and Dry Eye Syndromes 2. New York: Plenum Press; 1998:791-803.
4. Data on file, Allergan Inc. [Reported by CDE sufferers in Focus Groups conducted in Atlanta and Las Vegas, 12.04.]
5. Yen MT, Pflugfelder SC, Feuer WJ. The effect of punctal occlusion on tear production, tear clearance, and ocular surface sensation in normal subjects. Am J Ophthalmol. 2001;131:314-323.
6. Schiffman RM, Walt JG, Jacobsen G, et al. Utility assessment among patients with dry eye disease. Opthalmology. 2003;110:1412-1419.