Home > News

FRIDAY, March 26 (HealthDayNews) -- There are few risk factors for dry eye, but the condition develops fairly often in older people, says a study in the March issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Dry eye, a common source of discomfort for older people, can affect quality of life and has been associated with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers studied 2,414 people over the age of 43 who did not report any dry eye symptoms when they were examined between 1993 and 1995. During these examinations, information was collected about the study subjects' dry eye disease risk factors, medications, cardiovascular disease risk factors, medical history and lifestyle.

The study subjects were re-examined between 1998 and 2000, and it was found that 322 (13.3 percent) of the 2,414 had developed dry eye. The incidence of dry eye was significantly associated with age.

Incidence of dry eye was greater in people with a history of allergy or diabetes who used antihistamines or diuretics and in people with poorer self-rated health. Incidence of dry eye was lower in people taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (used to treat high blood pressure) and in those who drank alcohol.

The study also identified several factors that were not associated with dry eye. These included: gender, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body mass index, arthritis, gout, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, thyroid disease, smoking, caffeine use, vitamins, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

More information

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has more about dry eye.

(SOURCE: JAMA/Archives, news release, March 2004)

Copyright © 2004 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.