Diagnosed prevalent cases of dry eye syndrome (DES) are more likely to affect women than men, reports data and analytics company GlobalData. As of 2016, 11.4 million cases of DES were diagnosed in women compared with 5.2 million cases in men. The prevalence toward women was also observed among the rest of the seven major markets (7MM) in Japan, UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France.
Dry eye syndrome (DES), also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a multi-factorial disease of the eye caused by dryness, decreased tear production, or increased tear film evaporation. It results in symptoms of discomfort such as visual disturbance and tear film instability.
Numerous epidemiology studies in various populations around the world have found that DES is more common in women, though the degree of skew toward women varies by the population studied. The skew is particularly pronounced in postmenopausal women. Sex hormones are known to play a significant role in ocular surface homeostasis, and studies are investigating the mechanisms by which disturbances may result in dry eye syndrome.
“Anti-androgen therapy, Sjögren’s syndrome, and premature ovarian failure also may increase the risk for DES, as these conditions are associated with androgen deficiency,” comments Kasey Fu, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData. “Treatment and disease prevention could potentially target older women as a significant population for therapeutics development.”