Customary practices in the monitoring of dry eye disease in Sjogren's syndrome

PURPOSE: Diagnostic testing for dry eye disease (DED) in Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is well described. Little is published about monitoring this systemic autoimmune DED. We analyzed the SS related DED tests used in North American optometric practices and compared academic settings to private practice settings. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 123 SS charts from 6 optometric practices in North America was conducted. Testing done during the first examination following a SS diagnosis was recorded on Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) database. The complete data file was reviewed and testing type and methodology were compared. RESULTS: Symptoms of DED (98.4% of charts),meibomian gland dysfunction (76.4% of charts), corneal staining with fluorescein (75.6% of charts) and anterior blepharitis (73.2% of charts) were the most frequently recorded variables. Clinicians used different methodologies to measure and grade these variables. Private practitioners were more likely to use symptom questionnaires and grading scales and to describe anterior blepharitis. Academic settings were more likely to record TBUT and tear meniscus height. CONCLUSIONS: The monitoring of DED in SS is not uniform in optometric offices across North America. Creating accepted standards of testing will improve the ability of clinicians and researchers to communicate and understand the course of DED in SS.