A study of prevalence of dry eye in relation to trachoma

Introduction: Dry eye disease is a multifactorial disorder of the tear film due to tear deficiency or excessive tear evaporation, which causes damage to the ocular surface leading to tear film instability and is associated with visual disturbances and symptoms of ocular discomfort. The prevalence of dry eye ranging from 5 to 35% Worldwide, while in India it is 29.25% based on OSDI data. Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. Destructive nature of trachoma causes dry eye in its chronic course. Materials and Methods: Total 100 patients were included in the cross-sectional study in the duration of one-year duration from February 2010 to February 2011 at Dhiraj General Hospital. They were subjected to slit-lamp biomicroscopy, Schirmer's test I and TBUT. Prevalence of trachoma in diagnosed cases of dry eye was also studied. Results: Prevalence of dry eye during 2010-11 was 17.77%. Amongst them, the prevalence of trachoma was 5%. Mean age of patients was 44.7±14.09 years. Discussion: Dry eye is leading cause of ocular discomfort in OPD patients. Prevalence of dry eye increases with age. There is a definite correlation between dry eye and trachoma. Trachoma is associated with dry, dusty environment, low socio-economical condition, overcrowding and poor hygiene.