Abstract

Dryness, grittiness, burning, itching, and fluctuating vision are just a few of the symptoms of dry eye disease, a disorder of the tears and ocular surface. Long-term use of topical glaucoma medications increases the prevalence of dry eye disease symptoms. This study's objective was to identify the prevalence of dry eye condition in glaucoma patients using topical glaucoma medications in a tertiary care centre. Methods: After getting ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among glaucoma patients in a tertiary care centre using topical anti-glaucoma medications. A standard ocular surface disease index questionnaire was used to collect the data. If the ocular surface disease index score was 13 or higher, a clinical diagnosis of dry eye disease was made. A point estimate and a 95% Confidence Interval were the two outcomes. Results: 150 (75%) of the 200 glaucoma patients had dry eye disease (range: 66.43-77.57, 95% Confidence Interval). There were 42 (28%), 59 (37.3%) and 52 (35%) individuals who had mild, moderate and severe symptoms, respectively. Itching and irritation were the most common dry eye symptoms, appearing in 53 patients (35.3%), followed by discomfort in the eye in 42 patients (28%) and redness in 33 patients (22%). Conclusion: The prevalence of above condition was higher in one study than in other clinical trials conducted in comparable centre, which is particularly worrying and calls for a stronger emphasis on addressing both concurrent glaucoma and dry eye illness.

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