Epidemiology

Major international epidemiologic studies have shown that the prevalence of dry eye disease ranges from 5% to 50% worldwide. The large variation in studies is attributed to heterogeneous patient cohort, inclusion criteria, diagnostic criteria, and study design.[3]​​ The condition is more prevalent in females than males, ranging from 1.33 to 1.74 times higher,​​​ and older adults are affected more than younger people.[3]​​[4][5][6]​ One report suggests that symptoms are reported in 5.7% of US women under 50 years and 9.8% of US women under 75 years, with an age-adjusted prevalence of 7.8% or 3.23 million US women over 50 years.[4] Another study suggests the age-adjusted prevalence may be as high as 16.7% in women and 11.4% in men.[5]

Global differences in dry eye prevalence have also been reported. One study shows 16.6% of Australian women over 50 years of age have moderate to severe dry eye symptoms.[7] A higher prevalence of 27.5% was reported in Indonesia.[8] Further evidence suggests that Hispanic and Asian women are more likely to report severe symptoms.[4]

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