Surgeon: Consider the overlap between dry eye and allergic conjunctivitis

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The overlap of allergic conjunctivitis and chronic dry eye must be seriously considered a hybrid phenotype before many affected patients can attain relief of symptoms, according to a clinician speaking here.

Anthony Bron, MD, of Oxford University, said surgeons must consider the interaction between these two disorders when deciding on diagnostic and treatment options for this patient population.

“The prevalence is high in both (these disorders), and they often occur together. We need to understand the possibility of their interaction better than we do,” Dr. Bron said during a special interest group meeting on ocular allergies held during the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

As an example, he said many patients on systemic antihistamines for treatment of allergies may experience dry eye symptoms as a result, just as patients taking preserved drugs for treatment of dry eye may experience ocular allergies for the first time. Further, different tests may trigger reactions in patients who are prone to either dry eye or allergic symptoms.

“We have to take this hybrid phenotype as an isolated condition seriously. What tests should we be doing? We need to be looking for the useful tests that won’t be affected by the other condition,” he said.

Practitioners should also consider the patient’s family history and drug history in determining whether dry eye or allergies should be considered factors influencing treatment.