Temperature plays pivotal role in dry eye disease

Temperature has a more significant impact on dry eye disease (DED) than humidity, according to an article.

Lower temperatures were found to exacerbate symptoms and signs of DED, while changes in humidity showed a less pronounced effect. Additionally, tear osmolarity emerged as the most sensitive clinical parameter affected by climate factors in DED patients.

In this retrospective study, 33 patients undergoing dry eye treatment were tracked through at least 2 follow-up sessions, evaluating symptoms and signs using the Symptoms Assessment Questionnaire in Dry Eye (SANDE) score, tear secretion, tear film break-up time (TBUT), ocular staining score, and tear osmolarity. Environmental exposure levels were determined by mean humidity and temperature values in the week preceding ocular examinations.

Lower humidity levels were associated with significantly higher SANDE scores and tear osmolarity, while lower temperatures were linked to elevated SANDE scores, ocular staining scores, and tear osmolarity.

In-depth analysis using linear mixed models demonstrated that an increase in humidity led to a decrease in SANDE scores. Conversely, an increase in temperature was found to correlate with reduced SANDE scores, ocular staining scores, and tear osmolarity.

Furthermore, multi-factor analysis showed that changes in humidity had no significant effect on dry eye parameters, but an increase in temperature was significantly associated with decreased SANDE score, ocular staining score, and tear osmolarity.

Reference
Song MS, Lee Y, Park HJ, Kim DH. A Comprehensive Analysis of the Influence of Temperature and Humidity on Dry Eye Disease. Korean J Ophthalmol. 2023;doi: 10.3341/kjo.2023.0077. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37899282.