Prevalence of dry eye in postmenopausal women at a tertiary level hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dry eye disease is a multifactorial ocular surface disease that causes symptoms of vague ocular pain, discomfort, grittiness, burning sensation, itching, and redness in the eyes. It is one of the most common disorders of the eye which is often underrecognized and can significantly affect the quality of life of patients. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to assess how often postmenopausal women have dry eyes and to evaluate the relationship between dry eye disease and age in postmenopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During 3 months, postmenopausal women who attended the ophthalmology outpatient department at a tertiary level hospital participated in a hospital-based cross-sectional study. Four hundred postmenopausal women were conveniently selected as the sample. To identify the existence of dry eyes, Schirmer's test was performed. RESULTS: The study population's average age was 59.09 ± 8.46 years. In the research, the average age of menopause onset was 47.68 ± 2.67 years. Dry eye condition was found to be 39.75% prevalent. The vast majority of individuals with dry eye illness had moderate dry eyes (18.25%). Dry eyes became more common with age, which was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study have shown that many postmenopausal women experience dry eye disease. The study emphasizes the value of routine eye examination for postmenopausal women to identify dry eye problems early, receive the proper treatment, and help these women improve their quality of life.