Observational study of dry eye in community pharmacy

Introduction: Dry Eye Disease (DED) is a multifactorial symdrom. It affects five million people in Spain and sixty million persons around the world, carrying significant costs and affecting different activities. DED can be aqueous-deficient or evaporative and diagnosis is performed according to the patient’s symptoms, followed by objective tests. It is a chronic disease; therefore, treatment is always focused on alleviating symptoms.

Objectives: The main purpose of this study was to set DED prevalence in A Gudiña (a municipality in the province of Ourense). Additionally, it was determined to what extent it is affected by the lack of adherence to the treatment with artificial tears (AT) and the association between DED and certain variables analyzed.

Materials and methods: During the seven months of the study, a final sample of 51 DED patients was selected. Data were collected by completing a registration form designed ad hoc.

Results: DED prevalence in A Gudiña is relatively low (4.25%). The average age being 66, it was proved to affect mostly women. A lack of adherence to the treatment with AT was reported. All variables analyzed showed association with the disease.

Conclusions: DED prevalence in A Gudiña is lower than that found in the literature. The exclusion of AT from health insurance is the main cause of low adherence to treatment. From the set of the medical variables analyzed, eye surgery is the main source of DED development.