Age Associations with Dry Eye Clinical Signs and Symptoms in the Dry Eye Assessment and Management (DREAM) Study

PURPOSE: To evaluate how increasing age is associated with dry eye disease (DED) signs and symptoms in the Dry Eye Assessment and Management (DREAM) study. This study was undertaken to better understand how DED signs and symptoms differ across decades of life with goals to help assess detection and treatment of DED. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of the DREAM study. SUBJECTS: One hundred twenty, 140, 185, and 90 participants aged < 50, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and ≥ 70 years, respectively. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of data from the DREAM study, a multicenter randomized clinical trial, to evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for the treatment of DED. At baseline, 6 months, and 12 months follow-up, participants underwent an assessment of DED symptoms and signs using Ocular Surface Disease Index, Brief Pain Inventory, tear break-up time (TBUT) (in seconds), Schirmer test with anesthesia (mm/5 minutes), conjunctival staining, corneal staining, meibomian gland dysfunction evaluation, and tear osmolarity (mOsm/l). Multivariable generalized linear regression models were used to compare DED symptoms and signs across the 4 age groups among all participants and by sex. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Scores of DED symptoms, individual signs, and composite scores of DED signs. RESULTS: Among 535 patients with DED, increasing age was significantly associated with worse TBUT (P = 0.01), corneal staining (P < 0.001), a composite severity score of DED signs (P = 0.007), and tear osmolarity (P = 0.001). Similar significant differences were found across 4 age groups of 334 women in TBUT, corneal staining score, composite severity score of DED signs, and tear osmolarity (all P < 0.05) but not in men. CONCLUSION: We found that corneal staining, TBUT, tear osmolarity, and a composite severity score of DED signs were significantly more severe with increasing age in women but not in men; worsening symptoms did not increase with increasing age. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.