Week in review: Working with dry eye disease, fat intake and AMD risk, blood pressure and glaucoma

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

Dry eye disease can be a workplace impairment, especially when it’s undiagnosed. More than 71,000 participants enrolled in the Lifetime Dutch population-based cohort study were surveyed for prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) and its effects on work functioning. In total, 8.3% of participants reported DED; those with DED were more likely to report absenteeism and worry about job loss than those without DED (odds ratio [OR] 1.16 and 1.22, respectively) and to have impaired work functioning (OR 1.43). Having undiagnosed DED led to greater work impairment than having diagnosed DED. The authors conclude that “Clinicians, employers, and the general public should be better informed about dry eye’s impact on work functioning, and it should be emphasized that dry eye is a serious disorder that requires timely diagnosis and treatment.” The Ocular Surface

Higher saturated fat intake may actually decrease AMD risk in men, according to data collected from 5394 participants aged ≥40 years in the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study for the Next Generation (JPHC-NEXT) Eye Study. Twenty-eight percent of participants had AMD. Men in the study exhibited an inverse correlation between both total fatty acid and saturated fatty acid intake and odds of having AMD. Greater fat intake was also linked to a reduced prevalence of intermediate AMD (but not early or late AMD). Similar results, however, were not seen in women. Translational Vision Science & Technology

Could diastolic blood pressure be used to measure macular damage in glaucoma? Results from the longitudinal Advanced Glaucoma Progression Study (105 patients with glaucoma and moderate-to-advanced damage at baseline) found that each 10 mm Hg decrease in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) led to a −0.061 μm/year rate of ganglion cell complex (GCC) thinning. Low DBP and high IOP led to even faster rates of GCC thinning, ranging from −0.8 μm/year to −0.4 μm/year, depending on DBP and IOP levels. The authors conclude that DBP could be a potential therapeutic measure in patients with glaucoma, but more conclusive evidence from clinical trials is needed. JAMA Ophthalmology