Magnitude of diabetes and hypertension among patients with Dry Eye Syndrome at a tertiary hospital of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - A case series

Effect of aerobic exercise alone or combined with Mediterranean diet on dry eye in obese hypertensive elderly

BACKGROUND

Lifestyle modification is a newly recommended complementary treatment for dry eye (DE) disorder.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of a 6-month high-intensity interval aerobic exercise (HIIAE) (conducted 30 min, 3 times weekly) alone or combined with a caloric-restriction approach, the Mediterranean diet (MD), on DE parameters in obese hypertensive elderly.

THE DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTION

This is a randomized controlled trial included sixty obese hypertensive elderly with DE based on university-based hospital recruitment. Elderly were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 30 elderly received HIIAE plus MD) and control group (n = 30 elderly received only HIIAE). Besides anthropometry (abdominal circumference, body weight, and body mass index) and blood pressure (measured in systole and diastole), DE parameters (tear film break-up time, DE scoring system, ocular surface disability index questionnaire, Schirmer's test, and Oxford grading system) were evaluated.

RESULTS

Significant improvements in anthropometry, blood pressure, and DE parameters were higher in the experimental group than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Aging-related DE symptoms and signs can be prevented and/or treated with HIIAE alone or combined with MD in obese hypertensive elderly with DE disorder.

Meandered and muddled: a systematic review on the impact of air pollution on ocular health

From the years 1970-2023, a systematic overview of the diverse consequences of particulate matter on eye health and a disease classification according to acute, chronic, and genetic are presented using the PubMed, Research Gate, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases. Various studies on medical aspects correlate with the eye and health. However, from an application perspective, there is limited research on the ocular surface and air pollution. The main objective of the study is to uncover the relationship between eye health and air pollution, particularly particulate matter, along with other external factors acting as aggravators. The secondary goal of the work is to examine the existing models for mimicking human eyes. The study is followed by a questionnaire survey in a workshop, in which the exposure-based investigation was tagged based on their activity. This paper establishes a relationship between particulate matter and its influence on human health, leading to numerous eye diseases like dry eyes, conjunctivitis, myopia, glaucoma, and trachoma. The results of the questionnaire survey indicate that about 68% of the people working in the workshop are symptomatic with tears, blurred vision, and mood swings, while 32% of the people were asymptomatic. Although there are approaches for conducting experiments, the evaluation is not well defined; empirical and numerical solutions for particle deposition on the eye are needed. There prevails a broad gap in the arena of ocular deposition modeling.

Occupational ocular health problems among marble workers at Shaq El Tho'ban industrial area in Egypt

Eye health of the working population is an essential condition for productivity. Marble industry is processed at large scale at Shaq El Tho'ban area where much dust, crushed pieces of stone, and fluctuating temperatures are endangering employees' health generally and eye health specifically. The objectives of this study were assessing the prevalence of the most common ocular health problems associated with marble industry and investigating the impact of the working environment and occupational risk factors on the oculo-visual status of marble workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 workers, working at Shaq El Tho'ban area in Egypt during the period from August 2020 to September 2021, using a semi-structured questionnaire and eye examination comprised of full ocular history, visual acuity testing (unaided/aided), slit lamp examination, ophthalmoscopy, and Schirmer's type I and tear break up time tests. The current study showed that gritty sensation (65.2%) and eye dryness (51.2%) were the commonest symptoms complained. By examination, conjunctival hyperemia (59.6%) was the most prevalent finding. By performing dry eye tests, dry eye was diagnosed in 60.4% and 51.2% of workers by Schirmer's test and tear break up time test respectively. The study's results indicated that age, working category, smoking, and diabetes had significant impact on development of ocular symptoms, while working duration, diabetes, smoking, ocular symptoms, and ocular foreign body had significant impact on development of dry eye disease. Implementation of engineering control measures, proper designing, and supply of eye PPE together with adequate health education to all workers about occupational health risks and preventive measures are recommended.

The association between personality traits and dry eye disease: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Dry eye disease (DED) is a growing public health concern that causes significant visual disability and interferes with the quality of life. The aim of the study is to analyze the relationship between personality traits and DED symptoms in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in 2018. A total of 613 subjects participated in this study. Ocular surface disease index was first distributed online to assess the subjective symptoms of DED. Then, persons with DED were selectively chosen to be tested by the Big Personality Trait Inventory questionnaire. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA test at a level of significance, P < 0.05.

RESULTS

57.7% of the patients reported symptoms of DED. There was a significant positive correlation between DED and neuroticism personality trait. DED severity was found to be significantly correlated in persons with chronic diseases.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that psychological problems have an impact on DEDs in a way that needed to be studied.

The Relationship of Dry Eye Disease With Depression in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective

Estimate the prevalence of depression among individuals with a dry eye disease (DED) in Saudi Arabia using two questionnaires: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5), and explore potential factors implicated in the development of depression among the DED population.

Methods

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of 476 patients with DED which was conducted using a PHQ-9 questionnaire to screen for depression and a DEQ-5 questionnaire to diagnose DED. The questionnaires were merged and distributed using Google Forms through various social media platforms targeting the Saudi population. After data collection, it was revised, coded and fed to statistical software IBM SPSS version 22 (SPSS, Inc. Chicago, IL).

Results

Depression was diagnosed among 200 participants (42%) of the cases with dry eyes. From which 5.7% had mild depression, 13.9% had moderate depression, 12.6% had moderately severe depression, and 9.9% had severe depression. A female predominance was noticed; 44.7% of the females with dry eyes had depression compared to 32.4% of males with recorded statistical significance (P=0.023). Depression was detected among 55% of those who are less than 20 years old in comparison to 27% of those who are 30 years or older (P=0.001). Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), prolonged electronic device usage and contact lens wear are reported as risk factors associated with an increase in dry eye symptoms. However, there is no statistically significant relationship between contact lens wear and depression among dry eye disease patients.

Conclusion

Suffering from DED is a possible risk factor for developing depression as DED is associated with depression of higher degrees of severity. Depression among DED patients is found to be significantly more prevalent among females and the young adult population rather than older adults.

Prevalence and Determinants of Dry Eye Disease among 40 Years and Older Population of Riyadh (Except Capital), Saudi Arabia

PURPOSE:

The prevalence and determinants of dry eye disease (DED) among 40 years and older population of Riyadh (except capital), Saudi Arabia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

A population-based survey was conducted in Riyadh district between 2013 and 2017. All Saudi aged >40 years attended at the Primary Health Center were the study population. McCarty Symptom Questionnaire was adopted. A representative sample was examined. The best-corrected visual acuity and anterior and posterior segment assessment were performed. DED was graded as absent, mild, moderate, and severe.

RESULTS:

We examined 890 participants. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of DED was 45.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 44.8–45.4). One-third of the participants had DED. However, two-third of DED cases were of mild grade. The prevalence of DED among females was significantly higher. The variation of DED by age group was not statistically significant (χ²= 2.6, Degree of freedom = 3, and P = 0.1). Presence of glaucoma was significantly associated to DED (odds ratio [OR] = 2.6, [95% CI = 1.2–5.6], and P = 0.01). Use of topical glaucoma medication was significantly associated to DED (OR = 4.6 [95% CI = 1.8–11.8], and P = 0.001). However, severity of DED was not found to be associated with glaucoma medication (χ²= 2.6, P = 0.1). Associations of diabetes and hypertension to DED were not statistically significant (OR = 0.97 [95% CI = 0.73–1.3], and P = 0.84) (OR = 1.1 [95% CI = 0.8–1.4], and P = 0.6). The severe visual impairment was not associated to the grade of DED (P = 0.55).

CONCLUSION:

The prevalence of DED among Saudi is high, but severe DED is found to be less. Association with female gender, glaucoma, and topical glaucoma medications was reported. Association with diabetes, hypertension, and age group variation was not significant.

Clinical Evaluation of Dry Eye Syndrome in Patients with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy and Laser Therapy Indication

Background:

Studies have shown a higher incidence of dry eye among patients with diabetes compared to patients without diabetes. However, information regarding dry eye in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and laser therapy indication is not sufficient.

Objective:

To estimate the clinical manifestation of dry eye syndrome in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and laser therapy indication.

Method:

A cross-sectional study was performed during a local evaluation campaign of diabetic patients with vision disabilities at the Instituto Cearense de Oftalmologia in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and laser therapy indication were included in the study. An anamnesis directly to dry eye complaints was performed, and eligible participants completed the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. The slit lamp examination was performed with fluorescein staining; the tear break-up time (TBUT) was measured, and conjunctiva and corneal was evaluated using Rose Bengal (RB) staining. Finally, the Schirmer I test was performed.

Results:

Twenty-five patients were included in the study with a diagnostic time of Diabetes Mellitus ranged from 1 to 35 years, with an average of 17.2 ± 8.7 years. In our sample, 14 patients (56%) reported glycemic control with insulin, while 11 patients (44%) had oral hypoglycemic agents. The most prevalent complaint was blurred vision (96% of patients) followed by low visual acuity (92%). A less prevalent complaint was pain (44%). The mean OSDI score was 49.4 ± 24.2. TBUT was less than 10 seconds in 21 patients (84%), and RB staining grade was more than 3 in 13 patients (52%). The results of the Schirmer I test ranged from 2 to 35 mm, with a mean of 13.57 ± 9.78 mm. It was smaller than 10 mm in 15 patients (60%).

Conclusion:

The frequency of manifestation of dry eye syndrome was very common in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and laser therapy indication. Ocular surface care should be provided for those patients with significant ocular morbidity.