The Association Between Dry Eye and Sleep Quality Among the Adult Population of Saudi Arabia.

Rahaf Almutairi,Rawan Bayamin,Abdulrahman A Almazrou,Sarah Algezlan,Rahaf Alkahtani,Shawg Alrumaih,Renad Almutairi

doi:10.7759/cureus.22736

Abstract

Background and objectiveDry eye disease (DED) is one of the most prevalent ocular diseases worldwide. DED symptoms can result from disturbances to the homeostasis of the middle tear film layer (aqueous layer), including inflammation, pain, and eye discomfort, which can have a negative impact on individuals’ quality of life and daily activities. Sleep disorders are highly prevalent among patients with DED, and the incidence of sleep disturbances in DED patients has been reported to be as high as 40%. Decreased sleep quality can aggravate dry eye symptoms by increasing tear osmolarity and decreasing tear production. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between DED and sleep quality in the adult population of Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients aged 18 years and above in Saudi Arabia in August 2021. A validated Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was employed to diagnose DED. Data collection and analysis were performed using the SPSS Statistics software (IBM, Armonk, NY).ResultsA total of 234 subjects were analyzed, and 59.8% of the participants were women. Our tool suggested that 71.4% of the included participants had severe DED, 15% had moderate DED, and 13.7% had mild DED. However, 40.6% of the participants reported that they had not been diagnosed with DED previously and 34.6% had no previous DED symptoms. The mean total PSQI score was 8.63 ±2.23, with the highest score recorded for component 2: sleep latency (1.73) and the lowest score recorded for component 4: habitual sleep efficiency (0.20). Poor sleep quality as assessed by PSQI showed a significant positive correlation with the severity of DED as assessed by OSDI.ConclusionThe significant positive correlation between poor sleep quality and DED indicated that patients with DED had a higher risk of poor sleep quality compared to healthy patients. Patients with DED should be educated about the steps and techniques to improve their sleep patterns.

Highlights

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial chronic disease of the ocular surface that is caused by abnormalities in the tear matrix
Sleep disorders are highly prevalent among patients with DED, and the incidence of sleep disturbances in DED patients has been reported to be as high as 40%
We aimed to investigate the association between DED and sleep quality in the adult population of Saudi Arabia

Summary

Introduction

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial chronic disease of the ocular surface that is caused by abnormalities in the tear matrix. This condition presents with symptoms such as eye discomfort, pain, burning, foreign body sensation, inflammation, photosensitivity, visual disturbance, and, in rare cases, it may lead to loss of vision [1,2]. DED has been classified into two types: episodic and chronic; of the two, episodic DED results from multiple causes, such as prolonged visual tasks with reduced blinking, and it progresses to chronic DED when these symptoms persist [7] This condition has been shown to have a negative impact on patients’ daily activities, such as watching television and reading, as well as work productivity [8].

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