A recent survey shows that many people have less than 20/20 vision when it comes to spotting symptoms of and statistics about dry eye. With the launch of a new online hub, however, Bausch + Lomb is aiming to improve that outlook.
According to a Monday announcement, the eye health giant sponsored the online survey of just over 2,000 U.S. adults, 461 of whom identified as “sufferers” of dry eye disease, meaning they experience regular eye dryness and/or have been formally diagnosed with the condition.
Of that subgroup, an overwhelming majority classified the condition as “very” or “extremely” bothersome. More than 80% said they’re always aware of how their eyes feel, and almost half said their symptoms can get so bad at times that they can all but “hear themselves blink.”
As for how those symptoms affect those with dry eye, about two-thirds said they’ve had to give up various daily activities—including screen usage, outdoor recreation and makeup application—in an attempt to relieve their symptoms. Overall, the group said that reading, device use and driving are most heavily impacted by their dry eye symptoms.
Despite how significant of an impact dry eye can have on daily life, and despite the fact that the condition already affects around 150 million Americans and is growing increasingly common, many in the larger survey pool were unaware of the condition’s symptoms and prevalence. Altogether, 70% of those surveyed knew little about preventing or treating the condition, and while a solid number of those in the “non-sufferers” group reported experiencing tired eyes, light sensitivity and redness, all of which could be symptoms of dry eye, a much smaller portion associated those issues with the condition.
Furthermore, nearly 70% of respondents were unaware that dry eye is increasingly common in young people, and more than 40% didn’t know that leaving dry eye untreated could lead to more serious eye problems, potentially including vision loss.
To improve awareness of and education around the condition—including information about various relief options—in the wake of the survey results, Bausch + Lomb has unveiled a new online resource, “Know Your Dry Eye.”
The website includes statistics about dry eye and information about symptoms and contributing factors. Plus, to combat the survey’s finding that around half of sufferers believe the condition is hard to treat, the site also includes descriptions of both over-the-counter and prescription avenues for symptom relief—both of which lead visitors to corresponding pages on Bausch + Lomb’s own website advertising options including those recently acquired from the likes of Novartis and Johnson & Johnson.
“The prevalence of dry eye is growing, particularly among a younger demographic in large part due to modern lifestyles and heavy digital device use,” Yehia Hashad, M.D., executive vice president of R&D and chief medical officer at Bausch + Lomb, said in a statement. “The survey results underscore the importance of raising awareness of dry eye so sufferers are empowered to speak with an eye care professional and seek relief. That’s why we developed KnowYourDryEye.com to help facilitate these conversations.”