TOPLINE

Patients with chronic pain conditions had higher risks for developing dry eye disease and requiring prescriptions of topical eye treatments than individuals without such pain conditions.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess whether chronic pain conditions were associated with an increased risk of developing dry eye disease.
• They used data from the TriNetX electronic health record network (2005-2025). After propensity score matching, the analysis included 538,364 adult pairs with and without chronic pain conditions (mean age, ~ 53 years; ~ 59% women).
• Chronic pain conditions included fibromyalgia, chronic migraine, and irritable bowel syndrome.
• The primary outcome was a new diagnosis of dry eye disease at 1, 2, and 3 years after the first ophthalmology visit. The secondary outcome was the occurrence of dry eye disease that required prescription of cyclosporine or lifitegrast.

TAKEAWAY

• In year 1, 3.34% of patients with chronic pain conditions vs 0.72% of individuals without such conditions developed dry eye disease (risk ratio, 4.64; P < .0001). The risk was 4.89-fold higher at 2 years and 4.78-fold higher at 3 years (P < .0001 for both).
• By 3 years, patients with chronic pain conditions had a 2.6-fold higher risk for developing dry eye disease that required prescriptions of topical treatments than individuals without such conditions (P < .0001).
• In an adjusted analysis, having a chronic pain condition was independently associated with a 4.85-fold increased risk of developing dry eye disease over 3 years (P < .0001).

IN PRACTICE

Screening for pain when evaluating people with dry eye disease “may improve risk stratification, guide earlier recognition of pain-associated phenotypes, and support more individualized management strategies for patients with underlying” chronic pain conditions, the researchers reported.

SOURCE

The study was led by Shannan Berzack of Florida International University in Miami. It was published online on July 17 in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

LIMITATIONS

The study was susceptible to errors owing to diagnostic coding. Researchers could not assess severity of symptoms, ocular signs, or features of pain. The database included only individuals who accessed medical and eye care.

DISCLOSURES

The study received funding in part by the National Institutes of Health Center Core Grant and Research to Prevent Blindness unrestricted grant. One author reported receiving consulting fees from Bausch + Lomb. Another author reported receiving consulting fees from Bausch + Lomb, Alcon, OKYO, EyeCool, and Dompé.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.