Pediatric Dry Eye Disease Prevalence vs Adult Dry Eye Disease

Through a study in early 2024, researchers revealed important insights into the prevalence of dry-eye disease (DED) in children, showcasing significant differences compared with adults with the same disease.

Using data from the Academy of Ophthalmology's IRIS® Registry, the research focused on pediatric dry-eye disease (PDED), emphasizing the need for greater awareness of this condition in younger populations.

The retrospective cohort study analyzed nearly 4.8 million patients diagnosed with DED from 2013 to 2019. Researchers used descriptive statistics and statistical tests to compare demographic characteristics between patients with PDED and adult patients with dry-eye disease (ADED).

In the study, the average age at onset for ADED was 61.06 years for adults and 12.51 years for children. Characteristics with the largest discrepancies between patients of PDED and the IRIS® Registry pediatric pool included female sex (58.08% vs 50.60%), male sex (41.58% vs 48.78%), and patients who are Asian (6.02% vs 3.11%), respectively. In the PDED cohort, girls were at higher risk of PDED. When comparing patients with PDED and ADED, characteristics with the largest discrepancies included female sex (58.08% vs 68.12%), male sex (41.58% vs 31.55%), and Caucasian race (50.24% vs 67.06%) respectively.

Further, among pediatric patients, 76% had refractive errors, and 41% had eyelid or conjunctival disorders.

“PDED was more prevalent in the female sex and Caucasian race compared to PIRIS and was more commonly associated with refractive errors and eyelid/conjunctival disorders,” the authors concluded.

Reference:

Douglas VP, Hall N, Ross C, et al. The epidemiology of pediatric dry eye disease in the United States: an IRIS® registry (intelligent research in sight) analysis. Ocul Surf. Published online January 28, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2024.01.012