A Study of Patient-Reported Dry Eye Disease in Diabetes Mellitus in Indonesia

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus (DM), one of the most common metabolic diseases in the world, is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. In diabetic patients, ocular symptoms can develop. One commonly found ocular disease is dry eye disease (DED). DED is a multifactorial disease characterized by instability of the tear layer that causes various symptoms and/or visual impairment, usually accompanied by damage to the ocular surface. ObjectiveThis study aims to determine the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) in type 2 DM patients and to assess the correlation between DED and various type 2 DM-related conditions in Indonesia. MethodologyThis study is a cross-sectional observational study. The study population includes all consecutive patients diagnosed with type 2 DM between Feb 5 and Mar 26, 2024, at three hospitals and two clinics in Jakarta. The DED assessment was conducted using the DEQ-5 questionnaire, translated and validated in Bahasa, Indonesia. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test and Spearman correlation test were performed on all data sets to determine the correlation between DEQ-5 outcome and the patients age, disease duration, fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, and HbA1c levels. ResultA total of 309 patients were recruited in this study. The patients age varies from 23 to 84 years old, and the majority of them have had type 2 DM for five years or less. From 309 patients, 264 FBG and 72 HbA1c test results were recorded. Through the DEQ-5 questionnaire, 64 (20.71%) scored higher than 6, indicating they are experiencing DED. Among the factors considered, including age, gender, duration of disease, FBG level, and HbA1c level, only the FBG level correlated with DED (rs = .186, n = 263, p < .002). ConclusionTheres a positive correlation between the FBG level and DED. Elevating FBG levels are associated with an increased likelihood of developing DED.