Dry eye syndrome in hilla : a pilot study

Abstract EN

This is an introductory pilot study for a more detailed one on the symptom profile of dry eye syndrome in Hilla.

It aims at determinating the approximate figure of prevalence of the condition as well as an attempt of finding its seasonal and age difference. Patients and methods : the patients are those attending the Ophthalmic Consultation Clinic in Hilla Teaching General Hospital after being examined by the same specialist; the case history and examination results were registered after the preliminary diagnosis. The overall prevalence is 50.31%; it was the greatest in summer 67.07%, for the rest of seasons the difference in prevalence was not statistically significant (winter 50%, spring 48.24%, autumn 35.44%). This very high prevalence points to the importance of making a detailed study of the symptom profile to clarify the clinical picture of the disease and its position in the differential diagnosis of a large number of ophthalmic diseases.