Purpose:
To evaluate the
prevalence of diagnosed
dry eye syndrome,
meibomian gland dysfunction, and
blepharitis amongst the
low vision population.
Methods:
A retrospective
analysis was conducted on
patients seen in the
University of
Colorado Low Vision Rehabilitation Service between the
dates of 12/1/2017 and 12/1/2022. 74
ICD-10 codes were used to identify
patients as having
dry eye syndrome or not having
dry eye syndrome. Data was further analyzed to determine the
prevalence of
blepharitis and
meibomian gland dysfunction using 29
blepharitis and 9
meibomian gland dysfunction ICD-10 codes. Data were also analyzed to determine the age and
sex of the
patients with diagnosed
dry eye syndrome.
Results:
The percentage of
patients with a
diagnosis of
dry eye syndrome by an eyecare provider was 38.02 %. The
prevalence of
dry eye syndrome by
age group was 3.57 % for 019 years, 14.35 % for 2039 years, 29.07 % for 4059 years, 43.79 % for 6079 years, and 46.21 % for 80 and above. The
prevalence of
meibomian gland dysfunction and
blepharitis was 11.90 % and 9.1 % respectively.
Dry eye syndrome prevalence amongst
males was 31.59 % and 42.47 % for
females.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that
dry eye syndrome in the
low vision population is a significant co-
morbidity occurring in over a third of
patients in the
University of
Colorado Low Vision Rehabilitation Service. These findings are meaningful as ocular comfort should not be overlooked while managing complex visual
needs. (AU)