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Dry eye significantly more common in patients with diabetes
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The prevalence of keratoconjunctivitis sicca is significantly greater in patients with diabetes than in the general population, according to a large cohort study in Israel.
Igor Kaiserman, MD, MSc, MPA, and colleagues at Hadassah University Hospital and other institutions examined the electronic records of 159,634 patients older than 50 years who were served by Israel’s largest health maintenance organization during the course of 1 year. Of those patients, 22,382 (14%) had diabetes. Glycemic control as indicated by mean hemoglobin levels was correlated with the consumption of ocular lubrication. The main outcome measures were ocular lubrication used by patients with diabetes compared with the general population and the relationship between glycemic control and ocular lubrication use.
After adjustment for age and sex, 23.8% of the patients with diabetes filled prescriptions for lubricant medication, and 13.8% of those without diabetes filled prescriptions for lubricants.
Patients with diabetes filled, on average, 3.46 ocular lubricant prescriptions a year, compared with 3.23 lubricant prescriptions per year filled by patients without diabetes.
“Poor glycemic control correlates with increased consumption of ocular lubrication,” the researchers concluded in the March issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. “Close monitoring of diabetic patients and good blood sugar regulation may be important for the prevention and control of dry eye syndrome.”