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Anxiety and Depression Examined in Dry Eye Patients

by Joel Harrison 18. February 2011 11:24

Dry eye, a problem that affects many contact lens users, has been investigated from various points of view. Recently, researchers have decided to look at it in terms of its psychological consequences.

To be more precise, the study was designed to examine whether those who suffer from dry eye syndrome have more symptoms of anxiety and depression than healthy individuals. It included 89 patients with dry eye and 73 control subjects. Several psychological tests were administered to the subjects from both groups, rating their levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. The results were subsequently analysed and compared.

The results were in agreement with expectations: the levels of anxiety and depression symptoms were significantly higher in the dry eye group, which led to the conclusion that dry eye syndrome is correlated with anxiety and depression. This means that dry eye syndrome is a serious public health issue that needs to be investigated further, especially because it is becoming more prevalent for several reasons (growing popularity of contact lenses, air conditioning, climate changes).

Tags: Dry eye, researchers, symptoms, depression, anxiety, contact lenses, patients

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