Impact of dry eye on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity

Abstract

Background Although normal visual acuity (VA) has been documented in dry eye disease (DED), it has a deleterious effect on multiple aspects of visual functions. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the VA and contrast sensitivity in patients with DED. Patients and methods The study included 60 eyes of 30 patients with bilateral DED. The patients were evaluated on presentation and one month and 3 months after treatment. The evaluation included measurement of VA, contrast sensitivity, tear break-up time (TBUT), and Schirmer’s test. The treatment was prescribed for 3 months and included hot fomentations, topical steroids 4 times daily, tear substitutes with sodium hyaluronate 0.1% and tear substitutes with polyethylene glycol 0.3%, propylene glycol, and hydroxypropyl guar 4 times daily, and cyclosporine 0.05% eye drops twice daily. Results There was a statistically significant improvement in the functional outcome from baseline to 3 months after treatment. The uncorrected VA improved from LogMAR 0.585±0.27 at baseline to 0.52±0.26, 3 months after treatment (P=0.017). Similarly, the best corrected VA improved from 0.332±0.235 at baseline to 0.217±0.138 (P=0.012), and the contrast sensitivity improved from 1.188±0.255 to 1.59±0.118 (P=0.009) after 3 months. The TBUT significantly improved from 4.08±2.895 s to 8.35±1.665 s (P=0.001) and the Schirmer’s test from 5.45±3.72 mm to 9.53±2.38 mm (P=0.001) 3 months after treatment. There was a significant negative correlation between the TBUT and VA 3 months after treatment (r=−0.4094, P <0.021). Conclusion There was a significant improvement in VA, contrast sensitivity, TBUT, and Schirmer’s test within a few months of treatment of DED.