The highlights of the survey are that nearly half of adults have dry eye symptoms and most people don't think that their over-the-counter eye drops are very effective in treating dry eye. In fact, 68% of women don't think that over-the-counter drops work. The findings suggest in order to get effective relief that more people will be moving to prescription dry eye medication or other options that require more doctor involvement such as punctal plugs. The sruvey also found that around 20% of women over 55 have had dry eye for over 10 years. That's quite shocking!
And, of course, 69% of people who have dry eye have not gone to see their eye doctor about it. Maybe people just don't know that there are many highly effective treatment options available beyond over the counter eye drops.
Here are the survey's findings
- 48 percent experience one or more dry eye symptom(s) regularly
- 52 percent of women experience one or more dry eye symptom(s) regularly
- 45 to 54 percent of women who suffer from dry eye symptoms (42 percent) experience blurred vision
- 30 percent of men 55 and older have experienced dry eye symptoms for more than 10 years
- 19 percent of women age 55 and older have experienced dry eye symptoms for more than 10 years
- Women are more likely than men to report experiencing difficulty using the computer as a result of their dry eye symptoms (62 percent vs. 44 percent)
- Approximately two out of five U.S. adults (43 percent) report experiencing difficulty reading as a result of their dry eye symptoms
- Nearly one out of five U.S. adults (19 percent) report using over-the-counter eyedrops to treat symptoms at least five times per week
- 48 percent of U.S. adults who use over-the-counter eyedrops to manage their dry eye symptoms state that their eye care professional or pharmacist influenced their decision to use over-the-counter drops
- 63 percent of U.S. adults who use over-the-counter eyedrops to manage their dry eye symptoms () state that the over-the-counter drops are only somewhat or not at all successful in managing their dry eye symptoms
- Women who use over-the-counter eyedrops to manage their dry eye symptoms are more likely than men to state their over-the-counter drops are only somewhat or not at all successful in managing their dry eye symptoms (68 percent vs. 54 percent)
- 69 percent of U.S. adults who experience one or more dry eye symptom(s) have not visited a eye care professional to treat symptoms
- 41 percent of five U.S. adults who visited an eye care professional to treat their dry eye symptoms stated that they visited more than once before finding relief (19 percent); or that they still have not found relief (22 percent)
Learn more about dry eye syndrome
- Learn the basics of dry eye syndrome and download the dry eye quiz and dry eye questionnaire to complete and show to your optometrist
- Eye makeup makes dry eye syndrome worse
- Pregnancy and menopause makes dry eye worse
- Caffeine improves dry eye syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome can cause anxiety and depression
