This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Cost of dry eye syndrome no burden for most European health systems
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The costs associated with managing dry eye syndrome do not appear to directly financially burden European health care systems, according to an epidemiological study.
John P. Clegg and colleagues in England reviewed published health care data from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom to estimate the costs associated with management of dry eye by ophthalmologists. They also interviewed ophthalmologists practicing in each country.
The researchers found that the total annual cost of treatment for 1,000 dry eye patients ranged from $270,000 in France to $1.1 million in the United Kingdom. Across all six countries, less than 0.1% of ophthalmology patients reported dry eye syndrome.
The study did not account for self-treatment by dry eye patients, however. Thus the actual costs to society may be higher, the authors noted.
The study is published in the August issue of Ophthalmic Epidemiology.