BLOG: Dry eye in the US: Some new demographic data
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Key takeaways:
- More Americans are experiencing frequent or occasional dry eye disease symptoms.
- The age of dry eye patients has been declining.
- Dry eye symptoms are correlated with screen use.
For quite a few years now, we have been hearing the same stats about the prevalence and characteristics of dry eye disease patients in the U.S.
Everyone — and I mean everyone — quotes the same stuff dating back to 2017. Been to a lecture on dry eye disease (DED) at one of the major conferences or a “chicken dinner” sponsored by a pharmaceutical company? They all quote the same numbers on what I swear is the same slide: 38 million Americans have DED, 15 million have been diagnosed, and 1.2 million people are actively being treated. With the approval of Miebo (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution, Bausch + Lomb) in 2023, industry sources are reporting that this final number was closer to 1.5 million at the end of 2023.
So, what’s new? Well, we’ve known for quite some time that the topline number of 38 million drastically understates the number of people who have DED symptoms. Remember, that number comes from a 2017 study or 2015 data that only looked for traditional DED symptoms such as redness, irritation or foreign body sensation. If we expand the symptoms queried and include fluctuating vision and fatigue, we should expect to find many more dry eye sufferers out there. Lo and behold, a newly published multi-sponsor Gallup poll finds that as many as 47% of Americans experience frequent or occasional DED symptoms.
For the math-challenged, that comes out to 150 million Americans. Whoa.
We have known for some time that the age of our DED patients has been declining, and this is borne out in the new data. The fastest growth has been among people younger than 50 years in general, with men showing a significant increase as well. DED symptoms are highly correlated with screen use. Forty-nine percent of individuals who are on their computer for 3 hours or less note symptoms, a number that soars to 65% for those who are in front of a screen for 10 or more hours a day. Among dry eye sufferers, 75% find their symptoms extremely or very bothersome. Eighty percent say they are always aware of their eyes. Sixty-seven percent have had to cut back on their daily activities; not surprisingly, screen time is the most frequently mentioned activity they reduce.
I think 38 million was a pretty significant under-call, and it may turn out that 150 million is a bit of an overshoot. Still, it’s much more likely that the bigger number is closer to the truth. It’s going to be super interesting when the 2023 diagnosis numbers are available from the government and third-party payers — the over/under has to be 40 million. 2024 looks like it will be the year that we have more than 2 million people actively treating their DED.
Now if we can only get a new slide made for all of those talks.
References:
- Millions of Americans experience dry eye symptoms, yet new national survey shows sufferers struggle to find relief. https://ir.bausch.com/press-releases/millions-americans-experience-dry-eye-symptoms-yet-new-national-survey-shows. Published July 8, 2024. Accessed Sept. 3, 2024.
- Multi-sponsor Surveys’ 2022 study of dry eye sufferers. https://www.multisponsor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Dry-Eye-Sufferers-MS2215.pdf. Published August 2022. Accessed Sept. 3, 2024.
For more information:
Darrell E. White, MD, of SkyVision Centers in Westlake, Ohio, can be reached at dwhite@healio.com.
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