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Nearly
3.2 million American women 50 and older suffer from debilitating dry eye
syndrome By
Patti Jacobs EurekaAlert,
August 6, 2003
Boston, MA – Nearly 3.2 million American women age 50 and older suffer from dry eye syndrome, a painful, debilitating eye disease, according to an epidemiological study by scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital. The
study, published in the August issue of the American Journal of
Ophthalmology and the largest study of its kind, indicates that dry eye in
women is an important health issue that may often remain undiagnosed. The
incidence of dry eye syndrome, along with the economic impact on the
health care system, is likely to increase as the population ages. "These
findings shine a light on this issue and will help make the public and the
health care community more aware of dry eye syndrome as an important
health concern for women. It also points to the need for diagnosis and
treatment to limit the impact on the individual's quality of life and
society," says Debra Schaumberg, ScD, OD, MPH, the senior author of
the study, assistant scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute,
associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and an
assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Known
to be more common in women than men (scientists estimate that over a
million men age 50 and older have the disease), dry eye syndrome is
characterized by a decline in the quality or quantity of tears that
normally bathe the eye to keep it moist and functioning well. The
condition causes symptoms such as pain, irritation, dryness, and/or a
sandy or gritty sensation. If untreated, severe dry eye syndrome can
eventually lead to scarring or ulceration of the cornea, and loss of
vision. Victims can experience symptoms so constant and severe that
reading, driving, working or participating in other activities of daily
life are difficult or impossible. While
previous studies have given some indications of the numbers of women
(people) affected, these studies were small and geographically and
demographically limited. Schaumberg's
study, in contrast, is the first large-scale study that, although not
population-based, is geographically diverse, including women from across
the United States. To
obtain their results, Schaumberg and her team surveyed over 37,000 women
enrolled in the Women's Health Study, the landmark, BWH-based Women's
Health Study. Survey questions were designed to elicit information about
an individual's history of diagnosed dry eye syndrome or evidence of
severe symptoms. After
adjusting for age and demographics, and extrapolating to the U.S.
population, the researchers concluded that 7.8 percent of the population
of women over age 50 or 3.2 million women, suffered from the disorder.
They also concluded that while many younger women in their forties did
experience dry eye syndrome, the prevalence of the disease increased
significantly with age. The
researchers also found that Hispanic and Asian women were more likely to
report severe symptoms, but not more likely to have been diagnosed than
Caucasian women. The researchers speculate that this may be due to a lower
level of health care in their communities or less effectiveness of
treatment, or possibly because of interactions with other medications or
health conditions in Hispanics and Asians, such as hypertension. Black
women were not distinguishable from white women when it came to dry eye
syndrome. Since
the subjects of this AJO study were health workers and likely to be
healthier than the general public, Schaumberg and her team believe that
the general population may have even a higher incidence of dry eye than
the study group. According
to Schaumberg, little attention has been focused on this disease because
it can be difficult to study and doesn't usually lead to blindness, but
she adds that the cost for care and the debilities it causes could eat up
substantial health care resources. "This research points to the high
prevalence of dry eye in the population that deserves more study in the
future." Schaumberg and her colleagues are not alone in their
concern. The National Eye Institute has also identified it as a major
concern for future research. Although
all the causes of dry eye are not known, normal aging of tear glands as
well as various disorders and diseases seem to be involved. Previous
research has shown a link between levels of the male sex hormone androgen
and the disease. In addition, Schaumberg recently published research that
linked dry eye syndrome to postmenopausal hormone therapy in women. While
artificial tears in the form of eye drops offer some relief and other
treatments are also available or in clinical trials, the disease is not
curable. The
study, titled Prevalence of Dry Eye Syndrome in American Women can be
obtained online at http://www.ajo.com/
or by emailing pattijacobs@hotmail.com.
### Collaborators
on the study include David A. Sullivan, PhD, Schepens Eye Research
Institute; M. Reza Dana, MD, MPH, Schepens Eye Research Institute and
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary; and Julie E. Buring, ScD, Division of
Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital. Schepens
Eye Research Institute, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is the
largest independent eye research institute in the world. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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