Effect of an Educational Program on Health-related Outcomes of Patients With Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a widespread ocular disease affecting the general population. It is a complex disorder affecting the surface of the eye, marked by an imbalance in the tear film and ocular symptoms. Therefore this study was done to determine the effect of an educational program on health-related outcomes of patients with DES including the severity of symptoms related to DES and their influence on visual-related functions

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Dry Eye Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Educational Program

Detailed Description

Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a prevalent chronic, inflammation resulting in eye discomfort, irritation, tiredness, and visual abnormalities that can make it difficult to read, use a computer, drive, or engage in other activities (1). It represents a set of tears film disorders caused by decreased tears formation or increased tears evaporation; it causes visual symptoms, ocular surface inflammation, and discomfort. In addition, DES leads to impaired visual function and can negatively affect the outcomes of cataract surgery (2).Therefore this study was done to determine the effect of an educational program on health-related outcomes of patients with DES including the severity of symptoms related to DES and their influence on visual-related functions

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Alexandria, Egypt
    • Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age: 20 to 60 years old.
• Alert, and able to communicate.

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients with recent ocular surgeries in the last 3 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Study Group; The educational nursing interventions were individually administered to each participant in the study group in two sessions which were conducted after the assessment phase on the day of the eye examination at the ophthalmology outpatient clinic and after the diagnosis of dry eye syndrome.	Other: Educational Program; The educational program included information about definition and causes of Dry eye syndrome (DES), symptoms of DES, diagnostic measures of DES, differentiation between DES and eye allergy, complications of DES, the effect of DES on vision, management of DES, health education about proper eyelid hygiene, proper nutrition to improve the quality of tear film, measures, and precautions to prevent DES such as avoiding exposure to smoke and environmental changes, avoiding prolonged periods in air-conditioned environments; limiting contact lens use to shorter periods, avoiding staring at the computer screen or smartphone for long periods, and taking frequent breaks. In addition, health education about the importance of compliance with the treatment of DES, and instructions to maintain normal eye and vision in patients with DES.
No Intervention: Control Group; The control group was selected first and did not receive the educational program for dry eye syndrome

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
ocular irritation symptoms associated with Dry eye syndrome and their effect on functions related to vision	Ocular surface disease index (OSDI) was developed by the Outcomes Research Group at Allergan Inc in 1997 (20). It is a 12-item questionnaire developed to assess ocular irritation symptoms associated with dry eye syndrome and their effect on functions related to vision.	8 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Alexandria University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Al-Mohtaseb Z, Schachter S, Shen Lee B, Garlich J, Trattler W. The Relationship Between Dry Eye Disease and Digital Screen Use. Clin Ophthalmol. 2021 Sep 10;15:3811-3820. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S321591. eCollection 2021.
• Akpek EK, Amescua G, Farid M, Garcia-Ferrer FJ, Lin A, Rhee MK, Varu DM, Musch DC, Dunn SP, Mah FS; American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Pattern Cornea and External Disease Panel. Dry Eye Syndrome Preferred Practice Pattern(R). Ophthalmology. 2019 Jan;126(1):P286-P334. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2018.10.023. Epub 2018 Oct 23. No abstract available.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 15, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 14, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): September 14, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 24, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 24, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 1, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 1, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 24, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Eye Diseases; Disease; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases; Keratoconjunctivitis; Conjunctivitis; Conjunctival Diseases; Keratitis; Corneal Diseases; Syndrome; Dry Eye Syndromes; Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca
• Other Study ID Numbers: Dry eye syndrome

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No