Lifestyle and dry eye disease: an epidemiological perspective

Dry eye disease is a common condition affecting around 10% of the Dutch population. Dry eye disease is a disorder caused by the interplay between several different factors, including internal vulnerabilities and external exposures. In this thesis, the link between several lifestyle factors, including sleep quality, diet, and sedentary behavior, and higher or lower risk of having dry eye disease was explored. The main takeaways for this research is that poor sleep quality is tied to a greater prevalence of dry eye disease. And that a more sedentary lifestyle, especially in conjunction with greater screen-use, is associated with a higher risk of having dry eye. In general, dietary factors, including water intake, caffeine consumption, alcohol consumption, and a Mediterranean diet were not strongly connected to dry eye disease, despite a connection between a Mediterranean diet and lower markers of inflammation in the blood. In summary, dry eye disease is a complex disorder where a holistic approach is necessary, and clinicians should be aware of the high burden of disease that many patients experience. Future research should assess the impact of targeted lifestyle interventions in this patient population on both measures of dry eye disease and broader quality of life metrics.