Magnitude and Determinants of Dry Eye Syndrome Among Persons With Diabetes Mellitus.

PURPOSE: To present the prevalence and determinants of dry eye syndrome (DES) among adult Saudi persons with diabetes at a diabetes centre in central Saudi Arabia.

METHOD: This cross-sectional study included diabetic patients attending a diabetic centre in 2018. The status of DES was based on the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. The prevalence of DES among patients with diabetes was estimated. The demographic and diabetes status were correlated with the OSDI score.

Results

The DES was found in 237 of 276 persons with a prevalence of 85.9% (95% Confidence Interval 81.8; 90.0). The median OSDI score was 37.5 (Interquartile range (IQR) 20.8; 50). The median hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level was 8.6 Mmol/mol (IQR, 7.7-9.7). The OSDI score was not significantly correlated with HbA1C level (Spearman r = 0.794). Age (P = 0.42), gender (P = 0.81), duration of diabetes (P = 0.1), smoking (P = 0.5), contact lens usage (P = 0.36), refractive surgery (P = 0.17), and allergy (P = 0.42) were not significantly associated with OSDI score. Those using insulin for diabetes had a significantly higher OSDI score than those using a type of hypoglycemic medication (P = 0.029). The coverage for care for DES among persons with diabetes was 32.1% only.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of DES was high among persons with diabetes. DES was not correlated with duration of diabetes, age, or other known risk factors for DES. Diabetic insulin users diabetic patients had a higher grade of DES compared to those controlling diabetes with oral hypoglycemic medications. Eye care for individuals with diabetes and DES is recommended.