Dry Eye Disease: Impact on Quality of Life and Vision

Abstract

Dry eye disease (DED) is a growing public health concern causing ocular discomfort, fatigue and visual disturbance that interferes with quality of life (QoL), including aspects of physical, social, psychological functioning, daily activities and workplace productivity. This paper assesses the current understanding of the impact of DED on QoL and vision. The full impact of DED on a patient's QoL is not easily quantifiable, but several methods and techniques have been evaluated to measure the decreased quality of vision from DED, and a number of questionnaires have been developed to quantify the impact of DED on various aspects of patient QoL. We summarize available evidence on the impact of DED based on a review of published literature.

Keywords: Dry eye disease; Functional visual aquity; Quality of life; Quality of vision; Questionnaire.

Figures

Figure 1. Permission from AJO

Miljanović B, Dana R, Sullivan DA, et al. Impact of dry eye syndrome on vision-related quality of life. Am J Ophthalmol. 2007;143 :409-15.