Ayaki Masahiko, Negishi Kazuno, Kawashima Motoko, Uchino Miki, Kaido Minako, Tsubota Kazuo
Otake Clinic Moon View Eye Center, Yamato 242001, Japan.
Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 1608582, Japan.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2020 Mar 31;10(4):193. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics10040193.
The reported signs and symptoms of dry eye (DE) have been discordant. This study evaluated risk factors of DE-related symptoms and signs to explore their association with patient demographics, focusing on the age factor.
The study enrolled 704 consecutive patients visiting general eye clinics who complained of ocular discomfort, but had normal vision. The patients were asked about the presence of six common symptoms related to DE and, tear break-up time (TBUT). The severity of patients' keratopathy was also examined, and patients underwent Schirmer's test.
Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that younger age (≤29 years) was associated with non-visual symptoms and keratopathy, while older age (≥60 years) was associated with short TBUT and low values on Schirmer's test. Middle age was associated with both severe symptoms and signs.
Discrepancies in the signs and symptoms of DE may depend, in part, on age, with younger subjects showing severe non-visual symptoms with apparently normal tear function and severe keratopathy, and older subjects showing fewer symptoms and less severe keratopathy despite worse tear function.
干眼症（DE）所报告的体征和症状并不一致。本研究评估了与DE相关症状和体征的风险因素，以探讨它们与患者人口统计学特征的关联，重点关注年龄因素。
该研究纳入了704名连续就诊于普通眼科门诊的患者，这些患者主诉眼部不适，但视力正常。询问患者是否存在与DE相关的六种常见症状以及泪膜破裂时间（TBUT）。还检查了患者角膜病变的严重程度，并对患者进行了泪液分泌试验。
逻辑回归分析表明，年龄较小（≤29岁）与非视觉症状和角膜病变相关，而年龄较大（≥60岁）与TBUT较短和泪液分泌试验值较低相关。中年与严重的症状和体征均相关。
DE体征和症状的差异可能部分取决于年龄，年轻受试者表现出严重的非视觉症状，泪液功能明显正常但角膜病变严重，而老年受试者尽管泪液功能较差，但症状较少且角膜病变较轻。
