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Study: Dry eye common symptom of hepatitis C infection

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Dry eye syndrome represents the most common ocular symptom of hepatitis C virus infection, according to a study by researchers in Germany. Investigators also found hepatitis C virus RNA in 10% of tear samples, emphasizing the potential of disease transmission through tears, the authors noted.

Christina Jacobi, MD, and colleagues at the University of Erlangen investigated the frequency of ocular surface changes and the presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in tear samples of 71 patients with previously untreated chronic HCV infection. The findings were compared with a control group of 66 patients without HCV, according to the study.

HCV infection was present for a median of 30 months. Of the HCV-infected patients, 50% showed decreased tear production, as measured by the Jones test. Twelve patients also showed epithelial changes related to dry eye syndrome and two patients had mild peripheral corneal thinning, the authors reported.

Using polymerase chain reaction analysis, the researchers observed HCV RNA in five (10%) of 52 tear samples, according to the study.

"HCV RNA levels in tear samples were considerably lower than in blood samples," the authors noted.

The study is published in the November issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology.