Correlation Of Prevalence Of Dry Eye In Post Menopausal Females With Serum Vitamin-D And Insulin Level

Various studies have found that prevalence of dry eye disease increases with age especially in females, which leads to deterioration of the quality of life. Various factors have been studied and correlated with the increase prevalence of dry eye in these females . This study is aimed to study those factors like serum vitamin d and insulin and find out whether these factors are correlated with the increase prevalence of dry eye disease in these females. METHODS: 188 post-menopausal females with age 40 and above were studied with exclusion criteria of Age less than 40 years, Pre-existing ocular surface diseases like chemical burns, vernal Keratoconjunctivitis etc , Ocular surgery or trauma in the past 6 months, Ocular infection or contact lens use within past 3 months, Chronic ocular allergy, Topical medications, Systemic diseases or medications and Diabetic females on insulin therapy. Dry eye was diagnosed using Schirmer’s test and TBUT. RESULTS: As per Schirmer’s test prevalence was 51.06% and As per TBUT it was 50.53%. there was statistically significant positive correlation found between Vitamin -D and Dry eye (p-value <0.001). Insulin and dry eye disease had a positive correlation as per Schirmer’s test (p-value 0.016) While as per TBUT the correlation of dry eye disease with insulin was statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: This study concludes that there is increased prevalence of dry eye disease in females in the post-menopausal age group with majority exhibiting mild dry eye disease. Vitamin-D deficiency and post-menopausal females with decreased insulin levels are strongly correlated with the increased prevalence of dry eye disease in these females indicating their potential role in disease pathogenesis.