Association between dry eye symptoms and suicidal ideation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have examined the association between dry eye disease (DED) with depression and quality of life. However, very few numbers of studies further examined the association between DED and suicidal ideation targeting a large population. Therefore, this study assessed the associations of DED with depression and suicidal ideation in the general Korean adult population.

METHODS: Data from 16,453 participants (7,008 men and 9,445 women) aged ≥19 years included in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), conducted in 2010-2012, were analyzed. DED was defined as a previous diagnosis by an ophthalmologist, as well as dry eye symptom experience. Diagnosis of depression and suicidal ideation were obtained via responses to an interviewer-assisted questionnaire and questions asked in a closed-ended response format. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between DED, depression, and suicidal ideation.

RESULTS: People with diagnosed DED exhibited a 1.31 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-1.56) times higher odds of having depression and 1.21 (95% CI 1.02-1.43) times higher odds of suicidal ideation than those without DED, after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, smoking behavior, alcohol consumption, physical activity, major cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Similarly, people experiencing dry eye symptoms were also at higher risk for depression (adjusted odds ratio 1.47; 95% CI 1.28-1.70) and were more likely to think of committing suicide (adjusted odds ratio 1.44; 95% CI 1.24-1.66) than those who did not.

CONCLUSION: Our finding suggests that dry eye symptoms were associated with depression and suicidal ideation in both sexes. For diagnosed DED and suicidal ideation, association was observed in women.