Table 1. Clinical Characteristics of Study Population.
| Variable | Patient dataa |
|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 58.2 (11.9) |
| Male | 81/97 (84) |
| White | 43/97 (44) |
| Hispanic | 32/97 (33) |
| Smoking | |
| Past | 48/97 (49) |
| Current | 34/97 (35) |
| Dry eye symptoms | 54/97 (56) |
| DES (ICD-10) | 60/97 (62) |
| Comorbidities | |
| Depression | 62/96 (65) |
| Osteoarthritis | 49/95 (52) |
| Hypercholesteremia | 47/96 (49) |
| Hypertension | 46/96 (48) |
| Diabetes | 33/96 (34) |
| Sleep apnea | 28/96 (29) |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder | 21/96 (22) |
| Benign prostatic hyperplasia | 18/96 (19) |
| Hepatitis C virus | 15/96 (16) |
| Traumatic brain injury | 4/96 (4) |
| Medications used | |
| Analgesics | 61/96 (64) |
| Antianxiety | 44/96 (46) |
| Antidepressant | 43/96 (45) |
| Cholesterol level–lowering agent | 42/96 (44) |
| Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent | 26/96 (27) |
| Acetylsalicylic acid | 26/96 (27) |
| β-Blocker | 15/96 (16) |
| Dry eye symptoms, mean (SD) | |
| DEQ-5 scoreb | 10.5 (5.3) |
| OSDI scorec | 31.2 (23.6) |
| Intensity of ocular pain for 1-wk recalld | 2.7 (2.6) |
| Total NSPI-E scoree | 17.6 (19.5) |
| Dry eye signs, mean (SD) [No. of patients] | |
| Osmolarity, mOsm/Lf | 319.3 (20.1) [96] |
| Inflammationg | 1.2 (1.0) [94] |
| Tear breakup time, sh | 5.9 (3.0) [94] |
| Corneal stainingi | 1.7 (2.3) [95] |
| Schirmer score, mm of wetting at 5 minj | 13.5 (7.8) [94] |
| Eyelid vascularityk | 0.8 (1.1) [94] |
| Meibomian gland dropoutl | 1.7 (1.2) [94] |
| Meibum qualitym | 2.2 (1.3) [92] |
Abbreviations: DEQ-5, Dry Eye Questionnaire 5; DES, dry eye syndrome; ICD-10, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision; NSPI-E, Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory modified for the Eye; OSDI, Ocular Surface Disease Index.
Unless otherwise indicated, data are expressed as number/total number (percentage) of patients.
Scores range from 0 to 22, with higher scores indicating greater severity (<6 indicates reference).18
Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater presence of disease (<12 indicates reference).19
Scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater intensity of pain.
Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more severe neuropathic ocular pain symptoms.
Measured using the TearLAB Osmolarity System (TearLAB), with less than 316 mOsm/L as reference.
Measured using InflammaDry (Quidel Corporation), with 0 indicating no pink stripe; 1, light pink stripe; 2, pink stripe; and 3, fuchsia stripe.
Measured using 5 μL of fluorescein instilled in the superior conjunctivae as seconds measured until the first black spot appeared in the tear film; 3 measurements were taken with 5-second blink interval between measurements, and the mean was calculated. Greater than 10 seconds indicated reference.
Scores range from 0 to 3, with higher scores indicating greater disruption.
Less than 10 mm indicated reference.
Scores range from 0 to 3, with 0 indicating none; 1, mild; 2, moderate; and 3, severe.
Scores range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating more severe gland dropout, based on standardized pictures provided by the Meiboscale.
Scores range from 0 to 4, with 0 indicating clear liquid; 1, white liquid; 2, granular; 3, viscosity of toothpaste; and 4, no visible meibum extracted.