Evaluation of dry eye disease in newly diagnosed anxiety and depression patients using anterior segment optical...

We aimed to evaluate dry eye diseases (DED) in patients with newly diagnosed depression and anxiety patients.

Forty newly diagnosed depression, 35 anxiety patients, and 37 controls without any history of taking psychiatric drugs (or before the beginning of psychiatric medication) and topical ophthalmic drop use, were included in the study. All depression and anxiety diagnoses were performed by an experienced psychiatrist. Beck depression and anxiety tests were used to measure disease severity. Tear film break up time (TBUT), Schirmer's test, Oxford scores and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) were admiinistered to participants. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography was used to measure tear meniscus heights (TMH), tear meniscus depths (TMD) and tear meniscus areas (TMA).

In anxiety and depression groups, Schirmer's test (mm) (7.24 ± 6.02, 6.58 ± 4.9 and 18.79 ± 4.9 respectively, p < 0.05) and TBUT (s) (5.62 ± 3.1, 5.6 ± 3.5 and 13.37 ± 1.7 respectively, p < 0.05) were significantly lower than control group. In addition, OSDI and Oxford scores were significantly higher than controls. OSDI scores were 28.01 ± 19, 30.43 ± 18.49, 14.38 ± 8.14 respectively (p = 0.002) and Oxford scores were 1.9 ± 0.7, 2.1 ± 0.6 and 0.7 ± 0.4 respectively (p = 0.001). TMD, TMH and TMA values were significantly lower in anxiety and depression groups compared with control groups. Correlations between disease inventory scores and dry eye tests were detected.

This study showed a relation between DED and newly diagnosed anxiety and depression patients with no history of psychiatric drug use. The presence of correlation between dry eye tests and disease inventory scores strengthens this association. This is an important knowledge that need to be evaluated in these patients before starting psychiatric medication.