Ophthalmology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Ophthalmology, including details on eye surgery, myopia, cataracts. | ||||||||
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Rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for dry eye in the Indian population*.Punjabi OS, Adyanthaya RS, Mhatre AD, Jehangir RP Department of Ophthalmology, University of California at San Francisco, 10 Koret Way, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA. Purpose: To compare the prevalence and severity of dry eye in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with that in age- and sex-matched controls in the Indian population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 84 randomly selected eyes of 84 adult patients with well-documented rheumatoid arthritis and 84 eyes of 84 age- and sex-matched controls in the Department of Ophthalmology, Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital. McMonnie's dry eye questionnaire was used to classify the patients on the basis of their symptoms. Dry eye was diagnosed if the wetting on Schirmer filter paper test was </=5 mm at 5 minutes and the tear film breakup time was < 10 seconds on slit-lamp examination after fluorescein staining. Results: Twenty three patients (27.3%) with rheumatoid arthritis had dry eyes based on the Schirmer test as compared to 10 (12%) age- and sex-matched controls; 19 (22.62%) patients with RA had a tear film breakup time of < 10 sec. on slit-lamp examination, compared to 8 (9.52%) patients without RA. The difference in the mean wetting (p = 0.003) and mean tear film breakup time (p < 0.001) between RA and non-RA patients was statistically significant. Ocular symptoms had a limited correlation with the results of these tests. Conclusions: Patients with RA in the Indian population have a significantly higher prevalence and severity of dry eye when compared to age- and sex-matched controls. *This research study was approved by the Committee on Human Research, Seth G.S. Medical College and KEM Hospital. Published 15 December 2006 in Ophthalmic Epidemiol, 13(6): 379-84.
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