A Study on Ocular Morbidity among Patients with Psoriasis Visiting a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karnataka, Southern India.

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disorder with predominantly dermatological manifestations and varying prevalence in different parts of the world. Data on the ocular features of this disease are limited. Hence, we aimed to estimate the burden of ocular disease in psoriatic patients in the Indian population. Materials and methods: An interdisciplinary cross-sectional hospital-based observational study was conducted in South India, wherein an ophthalmological evaluation was performed for the patients with Psoriasis. The ocular features were recorded and compared with the severity of psoriasis using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. Results: Ocular morbidity was observed in 80% of the patients with psoriasis which increased with increasing duration (p = 0.004) and increasing PASI score (p < 0.001). Blepharitis and dry eye disease were common in our patients with psoriasis. Conclusion: It is important to screen patients with psoriasis for ocular comorbidities so as to prevent sight-threatening complications.