Sleep and mood disorders in women with dry eye disease

The aim of the present study was to evaluate sleep and mood disorders in women aged 30-69 with dry eye disease (DED). All subjects underwent corneal examinations, with 890 completing a questionnaire regarding symptoms of DED and 213 completing both the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaires. Subjects were then divided into three groups based on age (younger [30-45 years], perimenopausal [46-55 years], and older [56-69 years]), and comparisons were made among groups in subjects with and without DED. PSQI scores were significantly worse in subjects with (6.1 ± 2.9) than without (4.9 ± 2.7) DED (P = 0.003) and, in the younger group, HADS scores were worse in those with (13.2 ± 6.0) than without DED (9.7 ± 6.0) (P = 0.020). In contrast, there were no differences in mood indices between those with and without DED in the other groups. PSQI score was significantly correlated with HADS rather than ocular findings. In conclusion, sleep quality had deteriorated in women with DED. However, mood problems contributed more to sleep quality than ocular status, especially in those with DED in the younger group.