Dry Eye-Related Ocular Surface Assessment in a Pooled Endometriosis/Adenomyosis Cohort: A Real-World Case–Control Study

Background/Objectives: To explore potential dry eye-related ocular surface functional alterations in women at the time of first diagnosis of endometriosis or adenomyosis in a real-world clinical setting. Methods: This was a cross-sectional case–control study. Patients were evaluated at the time of initial diagnosis, prior to initiation of any hormonal therapy, to reflect real-world clinical conditions. Participants underwent a standardized ocular surface assessment comprising the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, Schirmer test, and multimodal TearCheck® analysis, including Non-Invasive Break-Up Time (NIBUT), Tear Film Stability Evaluation (TFSE), Meibography, and Abortive Blinking®. Results: A total of 71 women were included: 41 with endometriosis or adenomyosis and 30 without known gynecological disease. Patients reported significantly higher OSDI scores than controls (p < 0.05). Objective testing demonstrated lower Schirmer values, reduced tear film stability, and more pronounced Meibomian gland dropout in the patient group (all p < 0.05). Differences were consistently observed across both subjective and objective parameters. Conclusions: Women with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis exhibited significantly altered ocular surface parameters compared with women without known gynecological disease. These findings suggest a possible association between gynecological disease and ocular surface dysfunction. Greater awareness of potential ocular involvement may encourage closer collaboration between gynecology and ophthalmology in the care of affected patients.

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Publication Details

Journal
Diagnostics
Published
2026-05-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16101524
Primary Topic
Endometriosis Research and Treatment
Type
article
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article

Dry Eye-Related Ocular Surface Assessment in a Pooled Endometriosis/Adenomyosis Cohort: A Real-World Case–Control Study

Maria Volotovskaya, Carlo Gennaro, Maria Elisabetta Coccia, Alberto Carnicci et al.
Diagnostics
Endometriosis Research and Treatment
article

Dry Eye-Related Ocular Surface Assessment in a Pooled Endometriosis/Adenomyosis Cohort: A Real-World Case–Control Study

Maria Volotovskaya, Carlo Gennaro, Maria Elisabetta Coccia, Alberto Carnicci, Rita Mencucci, Aurora Tenti, Davide Totaro, Gianni Virgili, Fabrizio Giansanti, Matilde Buzzi
article en

Abstract

Background/Objectives: To explore potential dry eye-related ocular surface functional alterations in women at the time of first diagnosis of endometriosis or adenomyosis in a real-world clinical setting. Methods: This was a cross-sectional case–control study. Patients were evaluated at the time of initial diagnosis, prior to initiation of any hormonal therapy, to reflect real-world clinical conditions. Participants underwent a standardized ocular surface assessment comprising the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, Schirmer test, and multimodal TearCheck® analysis, including Non-Invasive Break-Up Time (NIBUT), Tear Film Stability Evaluation (TFSE), Meibography, and Abortive Blinking®. Results: A total of 71 women were included: 41 with endometriosis or adenomyosis and 30 without known gynecological disease. Patients reported significantly higher OSDI scores than controls (p < 0.05). Objective testing demonstrated lower Schirmer values, reduced tear film stability, and more pronounced Meibomian gland dropout in the patient group (all p < 0.05). Differences were consistently observed across both subjective and objective parameters. Conclusions: Women with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis exhibited significantly altered ocular surface parameters compared with women without known gynecological disease. These findings suggest a possible association between gynecological disease and ocular surface dysfunction. Greater awareness of potential ocular involvement may encourage closer collaboration between gynecology and ophthalmology in the care of affected patients.

DiagnosticsVol. 16(10)
University of Florence (IT)
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Endometriosis Research and Treatment
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