Prevalence of dry eye with glaucoma

The Fast Assessment of Ocular Surface Trouble (FAST) survey is providing insights into the prevalence of ocular surface disease in glaucoma patients and the impact it has on treatment and compliance, said Marta Misiuk-Hojło MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland. “Despite its common prevalence, ocular surface disease remains an uncommonly recognised condition in glaucoma. It is well known that ocular surface disease may compromise the tolerability of topical therapy and may induce a decrease in compliance that may impact treatment efficacy leading to a risk of visual loss,” Prof Misiuk-Hojło told the 13th European Glaucoma Society Congress in Florence, Italy. FAST STUDY The FAST study is a multi-centre international retrospective survey being carried out in six European countries, namely Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and the United Kingdom. Ophthalmologists participating in the study complete the FAST questionnaire during routine general consultations to identify the risk factors and evaluate the possible OSD symptoms and ocular signs of patients treated by preserved and preservative-free eye drops. In its current form, the FAST questionnaire consists of 14 questions, divided into two parts, to collect data from the patient’s interview and the clinical examination. Data collected includes the year of the glaucoma or ocular hypertension diagnosis, the type of IOP-lowering eye drops used and whether or not it contains preservatives. Prof Misiuk-Hojło presented the results from the first 928 glaucoma/OHT patients surveyed. The average time since their diagnosis of glaucoma or ocular hypertension diagnosis was 8.4 years, with 59.7% of patients diagnosed for more than five years. EYE DROP TREATMENT The use of preserved glaucoma eye drop treatment was high – 68.7% versus 31.4% preservative free. Some 16.4% of patients were treated with at least one preserved treatment at the time of the visit. Nearly two-thirds of patients presented at least one risk factor for ocular surface disease, and more than 30% had stopped using a preservative-containing drop due to intolerance. The symptoms experienced by patients receiving preservative-free drops were generally on the absent or mild end of the scale. There were significant differences between the prevalence of ocular symptoms between preserved and the preservative-free groups. “These new results offer interesting insight into the prevalence of OSD and the risk factors. After the graded response model analysis, the final validated version of the fast questionnaire will be a useful tool for ophthalmologists in daily practice to assess patients at risk of ocular surface disease,” Prof Misiuk-Hojło concluded. Marta Misiuk-Hojło: misiuk55@wp.pl

Tags: dry eye