[Prevalence and risk factors of dry eye syndrome].

The aim of the study was to estimate the frequency of dry eye syndrome and to analyze the risk factors of this disease. We examined a group of 140 patients aged 24-93, suffering from dry eye syndrome. The patients were treated in the Ophthalmology Clinic in Lublin in 1999-2001. A larger number of dry eye syndrome cases was identified in female patients, especially aged over 50 (80% of female and 20% of male). Average age female cases was 67.5 and male 58.5. Patients included in to the study on made up 5.52% of total number of patients treated in the Anterior Segment Disorders Out-Patient Clinic. The frequency of dry eye syndrome in 1999 was 4.24% (female) and 0.76% (male), in 2000: 5% and 1.6%, in 2001: 5.12% and 1.1%. Systemic diseases were diagnosed in 36% of female cases with dry eye syndrome, including 22.3% rheumatoid arthritis and 9.8% Sjogren syndrome. 46.6% of male patients had systemic diseases: 32% rheumatoid arthritis, 7% Sjogren syndrome. The most frequent general medical conditions diagnosed in the group of patients were as follows: arterial hypertension (men and women) and diabetes (women). Smoking, place of living, other eye diseases and surgical operations in the eye area were examined as other potential risk factors of the dry eye syndrome. Smoking appears to stimulate the dry eye syndrome. A stable increase of total dry eye syndrome frequency was observed.