Subject: Participation in survey “Prevalent practice pattern in diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease among ophthalmologists in India”
Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a disorder of the preocular tear film that results in damage to the ocular surface and is associated with symptoms of ocular discomfort. DES is also called keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), keratitis sicca, sicca syndrome, xerophthalmia, dry eye disease (DED), ocular surface disease (OSD), or dysfunctional tear syndrome (DTS), or simply dry eyes. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca is a Latin word and its literal translation is “dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva.” It may be helpful to know that “sicca” is part of the English word “desiccate.” The dry eye syndrome in which the eyes do not produce enough tears is also known as “Sjogren’s syndrome”
Dry eye disease is characterized by instability of the tear film that can be due to insufficient amount of tear production or due to poor quality of tear film, which results in increased evaporation of the tears. Dry eye therefore can mainly be divided into two groups, namely,
(1) aqueous production deficient dry eye disease;
(2) evaporative dry eye disease
A key principle for the management of dry eye disease is augmentation of the tear film through the topical administration of artificial tear substitutes. These products enhance tear stability thus reducing loss by evaporation; this, in turn, helps to retain moisture in the eye and relieve the chronic ocular inflammation associated with dry eyes. Artificial tear substitutes help to reduce patient discomfort, improve quality of life and reduce the risk of damage to the corneal epithelium.
Artificial tear drops are most commonly associated with the management of dry eye disease (DED). Artificial tears are typically included in first-line management options for dry eye, as they are easy to use, accessible in a wide range of formulations, and have a low risk-profile. The challenge faced by eye care providers is that DED diagnosis and management is complicated by variability in the signs and symptoms of the disease, as well as the often poor association between clinical manifestations and patient symptomology. Without universal consensus for a ‘gold standard’ diagnostic test, there is considerable variation in self-reported clinical care strategies among ophthalmologists. There may be variations in how DED is diagnosed and treated among different health care providers, specialities, and regions.
This multicentric survey is designed to understand the prevalent practice pattern in diagnosis and management of dry eye disease among ophthalmologists in India.
If you agree to participate, you will be required to respond to questions of the enclosed questionnaire. We trust you and we are partners in promoting safe and effective drug therapy. In that spirit we hope you will consent to participate in this survey. If you do, please sign and return the enclosed reply along with your visiting card for accuracy of records.
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