Letters
Thoughts From Your Colleagues
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Ophthalmic Disease and Dating Apps
We live in a society where virtual socialization is the new norm. These interactions include finding romantic partners using online dating applications, which typically require profile pictures and strongly emphasize appearance.
Now consider patients with ophthalmic diseases, such as strabismus or various corneal pathologies, who experience psychosocial distress due to the physical effect of their conditions and, as a result, on how others perceive them.
We conducted a study in which we created a series of profiles on Tinder, a widely used dating application. These profiles differed only by the pictures, which were altered using Photoshop software to create three groups: a control group, a group in which the subjects showed physical symptoms of corneal edema, and a group that showed physical symptoms of strabismus. Our study showed that the strabismus group had a statistically significant lower match rate compared with the normal profile (p < 0.05) while the corneal edema group did not (p = 0.35). These results indicate the potential negative effect that ocular pathologies have on psychosocial functioning and health. Quantifying the societal effects of these diseases enables a greater appreciation of the condition and proper evaluation of treatment effectiveness.
Guidelines for treatment of disfiguring ocular diseases are based on visual potential and ability to restore binocular vision. Cosmetic reconstruction is rarely an indication, especially if restoration of visual function is limited. Treatments to benefit psychosocial functioning and quality of life should be factored in when determining surgical management.
Brice I. Hwang, MD
Allison Resnik, BS
Washington, D.C.