Dry eye in diabetic patients

• PURPOSE: To compare the prevalence of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in a prospective cohort of 22,382 diabetic patients with that in the general population. • DESIGN: Prospective, observational, cohort study. • METHODS: setting: A district of Israel's largest health maintenance organization. study population: We followed the electronic medical records of all patients in the district older than 50 years (159,634 patients) between January 1 and December 31, 2003. Of those, 22,382 (14.0%) had diabetes. observation procedure: The proportion of ocular lubrication consumers was compared among diabetic and nondiabetic patients. All HbA1c laboratory tests performed by the diabetic patients were documented (41,910 tests), and glycemic control was correlated with the consumption of ocular lubrication. main outcome measures: Ocular lubrication use by diabetic patients compared with the general population and the relationship between glycemic control and ocular lubrication use. • RESULTS: After age and gender adjustment, a significantly higher percentage of diabetic patients (20.6%) received ocular lubrication, compared with nondiabetic patients (13.8%, P < .001). The difference was significant for all age groups and for both sexes (P < .001). A similar significant difference was prominent between diabetic and nondiabetic patients aged 60 to 89 years who were frequent users of ocular lubrication. Ocular lubrication consumption increased with poorer glycemic control (mean annual HbA1c levels). Multivariate analysis revealed this effect to be independent of age, sex, place of birth, or place of residence. • CONCLUSIONS: KCS is significantly more common among diabetic patients. Poor glycemic control correlates with increased artificial tear use in diabetic patients.