Chronic pain syndrome linked to higher incidence of Dry Eye Syndrome

The British Journal of Ophthalmology online published a recent study that was conducted in the United Kingdom. The study shed light on the prevalence of the disease in women in the UK. Study findings revealed that 1 in 10 women in the United Kingdom suffer from Dry Eye. A questionnaire was given to 3824 female twins in the first ever population-based study of Dry Eye Syndrome in the UK. What the results of the survey found was that there was a link between chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome and Dry Eye Syndrome. In addition, women who had undergone cataract surgery had a 70% greater prevalence of Dry Eye. The study results suggest that Dry Eye Syndrome might be linked to a problem with the pain system and could be an indicator of underlying systemic health problems and warrants further examination of this association.*