Prevalence of dry eye in populations equal or over 50 years old in Helie districts of Wuxi

Abstract

Objective To investigate the prevalence and related risk factors of dry eye in populations equal or over 50 years old in Helie districts of Wuxi. Methods From March to July, 2010, individuals of equal or over 50 years old of Wuxi Helie District were randomly selected as survey venues. Every participant completed Symptoms of dry eye questionnaire, Tear-film break-up time, fluorescein staining of the cornea, and Schirmer I test. The diagnosis of dry eye was referred to the diagnostic criteria. The SPSS17.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results A total of 912 eligible subjects, 849 took part in the study, 827 accepted the examination with the participating rate of 90.68%, including 328 men and 499 women. Of 178 participants were identified as with dry eye, the prevalence of dry eye was 21.5%. Conclusiorts The prevalence of dry eye is higher in female, diabetes mellitus, blink less, long time using of eye drops, however the age is not associated with dry eye in populations equal or over 50 years old. Key words: Dry eye; Prevalence; Epidemiologic methods; Risk factors