One in 10 dry eye patients unable to work because of condition

One in 10 dry eye patients across five countries said they were unable to work because of their condition.

Ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, Santen, commissioned the research involving 500 dry eye patients across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. 

The results revealed that 65% of survey respondents increased screen time during lockdown.

Within the UK, approximately one in five (22%) dry eye patients reported that their symptoms had become worse during the pandemic.

One in four UK patients said that symptoms had disrupted their sleep and caused headaches, while one in five said that dry eye had negatively affected their mental health.

UK dry eye patients were least likely to see a healthcare professional about their condition during the pandemic, with 85% reporting that they had not seen a doctor to discuss dry eye in the past four months.

Those who required an appointment but put if off did so for a range of reasons, including concerns about catching COVID-19 in public spaces (41%), a desire to lessen the burden on healthcare services (36%), an inability to get an appointment or long waiting times (15%) and their status as a high-risk individual (16%).