Study of correlation between vitamin D3 levels and dry eye

PURPOSE: Dry eye is a prevalent disorder of tear film resulting from either decreased tear production or increased tear evaporation. It is becoming a serious issue due to its disturbing symptoms, which become progressively troublesome affecting the work efficiency of patients and increasing financial burden due to lifelong dependency on eye drops. If not detected early, it can lead to sight-threatening complications. This study aims to explore serum vitamin D3 deficiency as a causative factor of dry eye. METHODS: The study was conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in India, for a period of two years from September 2018 to September 2020. About 40 patients who had dry eye and 20 controls were enrolled in this study. They were given an Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, examined for signs of dry eye on slit lamp with Schirmer’s test and tear film break-up time. All 60 participants were subjected to serum vitamin D3 level laboratory test and its deficiency prevalence was correlated with dry eye and its severity. RESULTS: Serum vitamin D3 deficiency was found to be more prevalent in patients with dry eye. There was no gender predilection or change in prevalence with increasing age. Vitamin D3 level was negatively correlated with OSDI and positively with Schirmer’s test 1 and 2 and tear film break-up time (TBUT) scores. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of vitamin D3 deficiency was not consistently found to be associated with the increasing severity of dry eye.